Regaining What Was Lost
by Lady Lanera
Summary: After potential tragedy strikes Snape's family, he has to pick up the pieces. Can he ever truly regain what was lost?
1. Blood and Concrete

**Disclaimer: **JK Rowling owns everything Harry Potter related, not me.

**Blood and Concrete**

Leaving a trail of clothes in their wake, the couple slowly made their way across the darkened bedroom. As the man fell backwards onto the bed with a soft grunt, he pulled his lover down with him. Hushed laughs then echoed around the room. Hungry eyes stared into its lover's eyes. Windows of their souls shone with a bright intensity as lust took over.

"Aurora," he whispered, placing a hand atop of her breast.

"Severus," she replied smirking.

"We shouldn't do this," he said against her lips, gently pushing her away from him.

"Why?" she purred, running her fingernails against his bare chest.

It was a fair question after all. Their children were spending the night elsewhere so there was no chance of embarrassing interruptions. It was also perfectly natural for married couples to engage in sex. Hell, he'd even admit that he enjoyed their lovemaking tremendously. So why shouldn't they have sex?

Sighing heavily, he finally responded. "Because every time we have sex, you end up pregnant, Aurora," he answered blankly.

He wasn't joking either. He had gotten her pregnant on the very first try. Taking care of their beautiful newborn girl clearly cut into their sex life so they temporarily abstained for a few months after their firstborn's birth. However, once they both believed they could juggle their parenthood with work, they soon returned their focus to their marriage as most couples did. Since their adoptive sons offered to take their little sister during this time, Aurora and Severus had numerous so-called date nights that usually ended with them waking up beside each other the next morning smiling. These 'date nights' led to their second daughter's birth, who was now about five months old. In hindsight, he perhaps should have recognized the signs that his wife would have wanted to return to their husband-wife duties again.

"I'm starting to feel as if I've married into the Weasley family, Aurora," he said quietly.

"Well, Molly is my second cousin, Severus."

"Lovely," he replied with a slight grimace. Moving himself back from her slowly, he pushed himself further up the bed as if she disgusted him, but he didn't really feel that way. It was just…the idea of her being related to the Weasleys. It was utterly horrifying.

"Severus, I'm just kidding," Aurora said with a scoff. "I mean, sure I'm probably related on the Prewett side or Weasley, but it's a distant relation, a very distant relation." Raking her teeth along her bottom lip a few seconds later, she stared at him. "You don't want to have any more kids, do you, Severus?" she asked quietly.

"It's not that," he quickly replied. "I never thought I'd have a large family, Aurora."

"You mean, you never thought you'd have a family after Lily died," she corrected gently.

"Yes," he admitted softly. It was true. After his childhood best friend, Lily Evans, whom he had loved completely, died, he truly never would have imagined loving any other woman. He then shook his head. That was a dangerous subject to continue. He had moved on with his life. While he would always love Lily, his first love, Aurora was his wife now. Lily had made her choice before her death, and it wasn't Severus. "Are you wishing to have another child, Aurora?" He stared at his wife and caught her hopeful look immediately before she masked her emotions again.

"Only if you are, Severus," she answered indifferently.

Withholding his scoff at her rare Slytherin attempt of talking him into it, Severus inclined his head. The idea of having another child wasn't necessarily unappealing. In fact, he'd freely admit that she was certainly more stunning when pregnant. However, he wasn't quite sure either of them still had the energy to keep up with three young children. Aurora and he weren't twenty anymore. Though, if Molly and Arthur Weasley could still have the energy to do things after caring for their seven children, then who was he to dispute that he and Aurora wouldn't?

Thinking about the Weasleys again made him shiver violently. He stopped, though, when he felt Aurora's fingers brush his scar a few moments later. Glancing at his wife, he watched her gently trace the three-inch scar to his left shoulder. Once again, sadness entered her eyes. She always became sad when she found the scar because they both knew she was the reason he had it. She had been a fifth-year at the time and had just discovered that he had taken the Dark Mark, making him a follower of the Dark Lord. While she had closed his wound before storming out, he reopened it so he'd always remember how his actions affected others. Lightly grabbing Aurora's hand, he stopped her. They didn't need to travel down this road anymore. They traveled down this road so many times, and it never was any easier for either of them. Some things in the past deserved to remain there.

"Aurora," he said softly before pushing her chin up to make her look at him. His lips brushed against hers as he gently kissed her in attempts to distract her. His plan worked, but perhaps a little too well. His pants soon flew across the air with his boxers included, leaving him completely naked as he lay on his back on their bed with Aurora straddling him.

Smirking devilishly, his wife leaned forward, placing her slender hands on his bare chest. She then looked straight into his eyes and said, "Give me your boy sperm."

Snape's initial reaction was to cough harshly. He had to have heard her wrong. There was no way she had just said that. He stared at her and stared at her some more. He was flabbergasted, which was very rare for him. After his coughing fit subsided, he attempted to find a way to think clearly.

"A—Aurora, what…what the hell do you mean?" he rasped. His mouth was horribly dry. When she pulled back a second later, he nearly sighed in relief and pushed himself up onto his forearms.

"I'm tired of having girls, Severus," she answered with a lopsided grin. She then playfully pushed him against the pillows and left a trail of kisses up his jaw line to his ear. Lowering her voice into a soft purr, she whispered, "Tonight you're giving me a boy one way or another, my Dark Prince."

Snape made a sound that sounded in between another coughing fit and a forced laugh. This was not going to go well for him. He could see it now. In fact, judging by the look in his wife's eyes, she was definitely going to show her ambitious side tonight. Actually, it was the second time this night that he had seen her show her Slytherin side. Clearly, she was going to stop at nothing to ensure that their third child was a boy. He thought about telling her that one couldn't will one's self to 'make a boy,' but he figured it'd be a bit safer for him if he didn't. Who knew what she'd do or say then? Hell, they had started this entire thing by her ordering him to give her 'his boy sperm.' That type of brashness was very rare to see from his wife. She obviously had been spending too much time with Septima and the girls again. Who was he to fight her, though? It wasn't as if he didn't enjoy the sex. He then released a low groan of sheer pleasure. Oh, yes, he truly didn't mind the sex one bit.

~RWWL~

Waking up to his right arm underneath his wife's neck and his left hand resting gently against her flat abdomen, Severus found himself quickly grinning ear to ear. Granted, he was sore all over from the previous night's activities, but it was definitely worth it. He wasn't quite sure why they were having sex so much these past few months without even checking with Madam Pomfrey to see if Aurora was pregnant yet. If he were honest with himself, he'd admit it was because he was enjoying their time together a bit too much.

"Morning," he whispered in her ear before pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Hey there, handsome," she replied, blinking the sleepiness out of her eyes. She then snuggled even closer to him, causing him to grunt instantly. "Oh, I didn't hurt you, did I?" she asked concerned, quickly sitting up and starting at him with wide eyes.

"As if you could ever hurt me, Aura," he drawled before slowly getting out of bed. He grimaced again, feeling incredibly stiff and sore. Hopefully, his classes didn't require any quick movements today. Sighing, he walked towards the lavatory, remerging a few moments later. His dark eyes found his wife immediately. Feeling the familiar tug at his lips, he leaned against the wall and folded his arms.

Tangled up in the green sheet, Aurora calmly tried to extricate herself from their bed. Her hair was tousled horribly and sticking up in back. However, she was grinning widely. She could feel her husband's eyes on her, and it only made her blush more. The intensity and passion in his eyes was sending tingles down her spine. Merlin, she loved this man.

Aurora tugged on the sheet some more in order to free herself. However, she used a bit too much force and ended up falling off the edge of the bed onto the cold floor. The cold instantly chilled her to the bone. She laid there on the floor stunned at the fact that she had fallen off the bed with Severus watching. However, strong arms quickly lifted her up a few moments later and set her onto the bed.

"That was stupid," she mumbled, not daring to look at her husband.

"That was foolish, not stupid," he corrected. "Are you injured?"

"Only my pride," she answered glumly.

"Well, if that's all," he drawled before chuckling at her glare. He cast a quick Tempus to check how many more minutes he had before he had to wake their eldest daughter up. He scoffed when he saw that he had at least a half-hour. That was a first in a very long time that he had some free time. Glancing towards Aurora, he felt the familiar tug at his lips again as he thought about one of the ways they could use that time to their advantage. "By any chance, you're not sore, are you?"

"No, but then again I'm not old like you, Severus," she answered smirking. "I could use a good massage, though. Know anyone who gives amazing massages?"

"Perhaps," he replied with a soft snort. He then leaned in towards her. "I was thinking more along the lines of a nice bath with my wife, though."

"As if I want to take a bath with a giant grease ball like you," she quipped grinning. She immediately shrieked when he lunged towards her and tackled her onto the bed. She could see the rare playfulness in his mischievous eyes.

"What did you call me?" he growled sexily.

"I called you a grease ball," she replied with a soft laugh, moving her hand down his well-defined muscular chest towards his groin.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to entice men?" He then grabbed her slender hands and quickly pinned them above her head. "It's dangerous to do so, Aurora. Certain men might get certain ideas in their head."

"Yes, well, those certain men will find a wand trained in their back for thinking such things," she answered, licking her lips seductively. She then attempted to push herself up before whispering in his ear. "My husband doesn't appreciate it when he finds another man trying to share my bed. And trust me. You don't want to tick him off."

"Is that right? And why wouldn't I?"

"Well, for one, he's a bit possessive of his women." She then locked eyes with him.

"And the second reason?" he asked. He immediately regretted it when he felt her knee gently brush against his groin. This witch was going to kill him slowly one of these days.

"He knows that his stirring rod is the only one I want in my cauldron," she smirked evilly.

"Dammit, Aurora," he growled, releasing her instantly and moving back from her. It was absurd how easily she could arouse him. He then shook his head before running a hand through his shoulder-length dark hair. "I have class less than an hour from now," he grumbled.

"That hasn't stopped you before," she quipped.

"Yes, well, perhaps I'm a bit too sore this morning from last night for that. There is also the fact that you left scratch marks on my back."

"Oh, yes, because you didn't leave teeth marks at all on my inner thigh."

Within seconds, Severus felt himself blush horribly. He hadn't meant to bite her last night. He, well, their activities made him a little carried away. It wasn't as if it was the first time he had ever bit her in the thigh. It perhaps wouldn't be the last time either. For not being a vampire, he did bite her a lot during sex. He then shook his head. He needed a shower, preferably freezing.

"So, what do you say to that bath then?"

"I say I hope you drown," he grumbled. He watched her roll her eyes before he sighed. He was certain that she was as sore if not more. A nice warm bath would be just what they needed. Of course, he'd have to keep his hands to himself during it. He then scoffed. He could do it. He was a skilled Occlumens. Keeping his hands off Aurora would be easy. "Remain here. I'll go draw the bath." He caught her odd look, but when she didn't elaborate, he walked away towards the lavatory.

They didn't usually take showers or baths together. In fact, the only times they did was when they were in a rush. Well, except for that one time when she was deathly ill. He sighed heavily when he felt the familiar wrenching in his gut that always happened after he remembered that night. Shaking his head, he quickly pushed back the memories. Aurora was fine.

Speaking of his wife, she softly asked, "Is the water ready yet?" Standing directly behind him, she quickly wrapped her arms around his torso and hugged his back. "Do those hurt?" Her fingers traced where her nails cut into him.

"Likely as much as your thigh hurts," he replied, placing his hands on top of her.

"My thigh doesn't hurt, though," she mumbled into his back.

Deciding it was better not to argue with her, he waved a hand towards the running faucet, shutting the water off. He stuck his hand in the water and sighed. It was certainly going to be relaxing, especially with the lavender-scented bubble bath added. He then scoffed. Well, the students were clearly going to know they bathed together since they both would smell like lavender now. Oh, honestly, who cared what the little dunderheads thought anyway? They were two adults in a healthy, stable marriage. Slowly, he stepped carefully into the tub and sat down, holding a hand out to his wife to join him.

Once they settled into the warm water, Severus sighed contently. The water was definitely easing the soreness of his achy muscles. He nearly chuckled when Aurora laid her head back against his shoulder. He could feel her relax in his arms. The scent of lavender wafted up to them, soothing them. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back. Five minutes of soaking in a bathtub with Aurora wasn't going to make him late to his class. Unfortunately, the lavender, warm water, and having Aurora in his arms relaxed him a bit too much, causing him to fall asleep.

~RWWL~

"Do you two have any idea what your children were thinking?" a stern voice spoke somewhere above them. "And look at you, soaking in a tub without a care in the world. Honestly, you two, you could at least have the decency to look ashamed of yourselves."

Glancing up, Snape groaned immediately when he realized it was a very angry Poppy Pomfrey glaring down at him with her hands on her hips. Why couldn't he have just drowned? He then sighed. It was because of that damn lavender that he fell asleep. Though, he had to admit that he felt very relaxed.

"I take it that the boys were the one to call for you?"

"Of course they were," she briskly replied. "They were convinced that You-Know-Who kidnapped you and were torturing you for information.

"Well, as you can see, Madam, we're quite well. In fact, I'm quite sure that neither one of us feel like we were tortured."

"Sleeping ten hours is not a healthy sign, Severus."

His eyes immediately darted towards the mediwitch. They had slept for ten hours! Well, at least that explained why the water was cool and why he felt well rested. Though, he was rather grateful that his special blend of bubble bath could stand longer than ten hours before disappearing. He then scoffed. He hadn't really known why he had experimented with bubble bath formulas. He wasn't necessarily a bubble bath type of man. Of course, he'd on occasion take one, but he didn't need one to relax as some people did, namely his wife.

Staring at them long and hard, the mediwitch took in their state before huffing. "I expect to find both of you in the Hospital Wing ten minutes from now." Madam Pomfrey then whirled around and briskly walked out. The door quietly closed behind her with a soft click of the door latching.

"Well, that could have gone better," Aurora sleepily quipped.

"Hush, you," he responded offhandedly, still staring at the door. It was strange how the wards hadn't alerted him to Pomfrey's presence. Even though, she had an override due to being the school nurse, he made sure to keep the warning for her. Allowing his wife to get out first and wrap a towel around her, he then followed suit. "We should perhaps heal your thigh before she examines you."

"And what about your back?" she replied, crossing her arms.

"I doubt she'll examine me." He then wrapped a towel firmly around his waist before motioning her to follow him out of the lavatory and into their bedroom. He pointed towards their bed and caught the sigh of annoyance immediately from her.

"I can heal myself, Severus," she drawled.

"I'm well aware of your talents. Now, sit." As soon as she had followed his directions, he gently pushed the towel aside to glance at her thigh. He winced instantly at the angry red teeth marks. He lightly pressed around the wound, taking note if she had any pain. He could see the guarded look in her eyes as she stared back at him. Sighing, he grabbed his wand from the nightstand and muttered a soft healing spell, watching the angry marks become a light pink outline.

"She'll still know, Severus. She always knows."

"Perhaps, but at least the evidence isn't so damning anymore," he replied.

They then quietly dressed in clean clothes, finger-brushed their hair, grabbed their wands, and slipped out of their bedroom, heading towards the floo. Upon entering the sitting room, however, they found their children sitting on the sofa, facing them.

"Severus, I think this might be an intervention of some kind," Aurora said with a soft smile.

"This isn't funny, Mum," grumbled their dark-haired, green-eyed adoptive son. "What were you doing in there?"

"Oh, honestly, little brother, what do you think they were doing in there?" scoffed the blond-haired young man. His gray eyes then narrowed on the two adults. "I do hope you enjoyed yourselves, though. You see, while you were in there playing, Harry and I were out here taking care of Angel and Roxi. You do remember them. Am I right? They're your flesh and blood children as opposed to your adoptive children you saddle—"

"That will be quite enough, Draco." Severus made sure to catch both of the young men's eyes. "I am certain that I speak for the both of us when I apologize for our gross negligence this morning. You are but children yourselves. Therefore, we should not expect you to take care of your sisters as you have done so these past few months."

"You're damn right," replied both young men.

"However, you should be aware as to why we've been so neglectful with our duties."

"Is this the part where you say it's because Mum's pregnant again?"

"We are not certain if she is, but—"

"Okay, I realize that Mum's pretty attractive and all, but can't you just you know control yourself? I mean, it's like you're breeding bunnies at this point." The young man then glanced down towards the floor when Severus's eyes caught his own.

"Unlike your sisters, this child if she is in fact pregnant was very much planned, Harry."

"Oh, so, wait, what?"

"It means that they wanted a third kid, little brother." Grey eyes then glanced into obsidian. "You're trying to break the curse, aren't you?"

"Draco, every man wants a son," Aurora softly answered for her husband. "Yes, while this baby if it is a boy will allow Severus to take the Prince name, the desire to have a son was more."

"A son of his own, you mean," glumly Harry replied.

"As you are well aware, Harry, I consider you and Draco to be my sons. However, what Aurora is attempting to state is that I was not able to be a part of either of your lives when you were growing up. I missed some of the traditions a father does with his sons when they're growing older. It is perhaps selfish of me to do so, but you are both teaching me what it means to be a father of two teenage boys."

"Oh," the young men stated.

"You will not be 'saddled' with our children, gentlemen. I regret that you feel that way."

"I, well, we don't really feel that way, Dad."

"I am certain that you and Draco spoke your mind honestly. I can understand how you would think that Aurora and I are passing our parental duties off onto you and your brother. In a way, we have been doing so since Angel's birth. However, that was wrong of us. For that, I sincerely apologize, gentlemen. It was not fair for either of us to expect you to care for your sisters as you have done so."

"Severus, we should go before our residential sadistic, overprotective hen attempts to drag us upstairs by our ears."

He nodded slowly before heading towards the floo. Aurora was right. Pomfrey was a bit sadistic at times with her examinations. His last physical could attest to that. He motioned for his wife to step in first after casting a temporary freeze charm on the flames. Once the emerald flames took her, he stepped in and sighed. Throwing down the floo powder, he shouted for the Hospital Wing and felt himself whisked away. Here goes nothing.

~RWWL~

Several hours later, after informing the boys that Aurora was in fact pregnant with a boy, both he and Aurora left to an emergency Order meeting. It was rare for Dumbledore to call emergency meetings, but with the recent attacks, it wasn't as odd as it usually would be. The Dark Lord had definitely stepped up his attacks and made each one bloodier than the last. They could only imagine what poor Muggle town was the maniacal dark wizard's latest mark of destruction. The most recent attack was on a small village west of Surrey. There were no survivors, but there was plenty of carnage left behind. The blood would stain the land for a hundred years to come.

"I apologize for calling all of you away from your homes this evening," Dumbledore said without the familiar twinkle in his blue eyes. "I received information earlier that Voldemort is planning an attack on a Scottish Muggle city near the North Sea." The older wizard's blue eyes then narrowed on a map in front of him before glancing at the other Order members. His eyes suddenly became harder as he looked over his half-moon spectacles at them. "We shall, however, be lying in wait. Perhaps with a little luck, we shall be able to cease the attack and prevent Voldemort from murdering any others."

"What's the plan?"

"Kingsley, you will work with Mundungus covering these streets. Arthur and Tonks, I expect both of you to work together to patrol this side." His blue eyes then glanced towards another pair. "Sirius, you and Emmaline shall take the left flank. Fred, George, you two shall be together, protecting this side. I shall be with Alastor. Charlie, you will be with Aurora. Bill and Septima, you shall work together. Dedalus, Remus, you two will work together. Elphias, you shall work with Molly. Sturgius and Hestia, you two shall guard our back. Severus, I shall trust your judgment to go alone." Dumbledore then glanced at his fellow Order members, drawing himself up. "Work together as one, and we shall conquer. Remain divided, and we shall all fall." He then inclined his head towards them before catching Moody's glance. They would not fail, not this time.

~RWWL~

Green mixed with red and blue jets of light streaked past the dueling witches and wizards. Loud explosions boomed as its echoes carried the sound away. Dust flew as another spell missed its target and struck the outer edge of a building. Fierce snarls and rabid-like growls sent cries upon the cold, unforgiving air. Shouted orders reached their designated targets, causing more explosions and more wizards in dark robes flying through the air. The stench of blood hung heavy in the air, but it wasn't the Order suffering for once. Instead, it was the Death Eaters who were losing the battle for once.

Sticking to the shadows, Severus blended in beautifully. He was able to surprise numerous Death Eaters without them screeching as much as a warning to the others. He was practically a ninja the way he silently stalked in the shadows towards his victims, pouncing on them at the very last second. Most of the unsuspecting and poor souls were unconscious lying on the ground behind him, but some of the idiots had attempted to fight back. They were the ones he didn't attempt to save.

Severus could tell that the Order had the upper hand for the first time in a long while. At least if one judged by the number of Death Eaters' unconscious bodies trailing behind him. He stalked towards his latest victim, who was attempting a sneak attack against Lupin. However, a loud scream to his right made him whirl around towards it.

"Dammit," he snarled, effortlessly casting several powerful hexes towards the idiot Death Eaters closest to him. There went his surprise attack. Nearly all of them now knew of his presence. Once he had subdued all of the now unconscious Death Eaters, he whirled around and glared at Charlie Weasley, ignoring the witch who had the decency to look ashamed. "Mr. Weasley, if you value your life, then you'll watch her dammit!"

"Yes, sir, of course, I apologize," the red-haired young man replied.

Glancing from Charlie, Severus apparated himself to the other side of the town. He needed to get away from all the distractions, namely his wife. He couldn't be distracted if they were to succeed. Pressing himself against a shadowed wall a few seconds later near the center of town, he waited.

Knowing Aurora as intimately as he did, Severus was well aware that his wife was not very thrilled with the pairing of her and Charlie. Like Severus, she was a bit of a free spirit when it came to dueling. It perhaps was just the nature of Slytherins to be so. However, he also knew that Aurora had a tendency to rush in like a fool sometimes. It was one of her several Un-Slytherin and undesirable traits. It was for that reason he was very grateful that Dumbledore had paired Aurora up with another.

While trust wasn't easy for him, he knew he could depend on Charlie to keep his wife safe. Since he had taught all seven Weasley children during his career, he could clearly recognize that the second oldest Weasley child was the most sensible one in the family. The young man would do his job.

~RWWL~

A half-hour later, Severus came across a row of burning buildings. He ignored the terrified screams from the panic-stricken Muggles and pushed through the thick, heavy smoke. Finding it rather peculiar that the Death Eaters hadn't apparated away earlier, he had of course attempted to find out why. Interrogating several wizards that he knew were weaker mentally, he discovered that the Dark Lord was searching for a Muggle woman. He had learned the address from the last Death Eater.

He couldn't understand why the Dark Lord, though, would search for some lowly Muggle woman. If the reasoning were to kill her, then she'd already be dead. This seemed personal, however. In other words, it was a puzzle Severus needed to figure out.

Keeping his wand firmly in his hand in case of it being a trap, he slowly opened the front door and stepped inside the house. However, a dark silhouette with flapping robes rushed towards him, causing him to react on pure instinct. He thought nothing of the blue light that hit the silhouette a moment later when he heard the body slam against the floor with a thud.

Ascending gracefully up the staircase, he entered the second story of the house. He didn't hear any movement, but he was smarter than the average bear. Eyes darting back and forth, he stayed on his guard as he walked farther down the hallway. No one, absolutely no one was there. Sneering, he walked into the study to his right and headed towards the scattered papers on the desk.

Pushing a few of the pages aside before, he suddenly caught his name on one of the papers. He snatched the paper instantly and read the tiny scrawl littered without words crossed out. After reading the page of written text, he grabbed the entire stack of papers and tossed them carelessly into the fireplace. The Muggle woman had been writing about him and his family, only she had written lies about their lives. With flickering light against his face, his eyes glistened as the papers burned. He then whirled around once the preposterous lies were ash and briskly stormed out of the study and later out of the house. If that was the reason the Dark Lord wanted her, then he could keep her for all Severus cared.

An ethereal Patronus of a phoenix then floated in front of the dark clad man. "Return to the town square. It is over," the phoenix relayed in Dumbledore's voice.

"It is over for now, old man," Severus muttered to himself. He then shook his head somberly, drawing his outer cloak tighter around himself. "There will be surely a next time."

Being a coward as always, the Dark Lord had apparated away at the first sign of trouble. It was the common practice after all. Severus himself had seen that same action from his regretfully former master time after time. Granted, he was certain that the Order had truly gained the upper hand tonight, but the Dark Lord was like a dandelion in terms of recruiting followers. While his numbers were tapering, he would just recruit more young wizards to do his dirty work for him for the next encounter.

With a soft pop, Severus appeared in the town square. It clearly looked like ground zero for the battle. Not a single building still stood. Ruins and charred buildings were the only things that remained. The death toll would be great again, but it seemed at least this time the number of dead wizards would outweigh the dead Muggles.

Severus glanced at the rest of the gathered Order members. Everyone but Aurora and Charlie were in the town square. He whirled around and looked around. Clearly, he wasn't the only one who noticed the two who were missing. He could see Molly and a few of the others also glancing around.

A few of them sent their Patronuses out to find the two. In fact, Severus dashed off in attempts to follow one. Soon after, he noticed Lupin, Black, Arthur, and Kingsley had joined him in tailing the incredibly fast Patronus of a weasel. As they all rounded the corner of a large skyscraper, they soon saw a lone building smoldering and completely decimated in front of them. Soft groaning, however, tore their eyes from the ruins towards the sound.

Lying propped up against a building and clutching his bleeding head, Charlie Weasley released another painful groan before slumping onto his side. His robes hung in tatters on his body. Deep lacerations painted his freckled face. He then coughed harshly with a rather bad rattle in his lungs.

"Oh, Charlie," Arthur cried, rushing to his son's side immediately. He quickly pushed his son back into a sitting position while Kingsley ran several diagnostic spells on the badly injured Weasley.

"He—Hey, Dad," croaked the younger wizard. Saying just two words clearly were the equivalent of playing a rough game of Quidditch.

"What happened?"

"Got blindsided," Charlie answered before coughing harshly. Amber light from Kingsley's wand then passed down the young man, which seemed to allow him to breathe easier. "I didn't even notice him until he jumped me from behind. Professor Sinistra went into that building after him," he replied, jerking his head vaguely in the direction of it.

"Which building, Mr. Weasley?" asked Severus with a deep sinking feeling in his gut.

"I think…I think it's the one behind you, sir."

"You think?" he growled back at the young man, allowing his temper to take over briefly.

"Severus," warned Kingsley. He then stood up and whispered into his ear, "He was struck by some of the flying debris." When the man's dark eyes narrowed on him, he clarified. "Meaning that he can't see it, Snape," he spoke softly. "It's temporary, though."

Severus's eyes instantly darted towards the young man. He should have noticed that Charlie hadn't been focusing on their faces when he was answering. The young man of course wouldn't be able to tell him which one. He couldn't see.

Whirling around, Severus then glanced at the charred remains of the building that was behind him. It didn't take long before he noticed a movement in the ruins. With his heart fully on his sleeve, he rushed towards it, noticing that Lupin and Black had joined him. They quickly started throwing debris to the side to get to the person moving underneath all that rubble. It didn't take long at all. However, it wasn't his wife.

Instead, it was Fenir Greyback. The werewolf clearly didn't pose a threat to anyone, however. If it weren't for the chains around him to prevent him from attacking anyone, it would be the fact that he was effectively pinned underneath the rubble with rebar sticking out of his shoulder.

Grabbing the werewolf by the chin, Severus wrenched the man's head upwards. He was far from being his usual relaxed self, though. His dark eyes were full of anger as he glared at Fenir.

"Where is she?"

"Where is who?" The werewolf then chuckled darkly.

"Tell me where she is!"

"Oh, you aren't talking about that stupid blood traitor you married, are you?" He clucked his tongue at Severus before chuckling some more. "I would have thought you kept better tabs on your little pureblooded whore, Severus."

Gritting his teeth, Severus attempted to force his way into Greyback's mind. While it was rare to use Legilimency on any other species, it was not unheard of. It just took a quite a bit more concentration and focus to do so with the end result being the death of either one or both of them. He could feel the werewolf fighting against him. However, Severus managed to catch a glimpse of a bright white light enveloping the building in Fenir's mind. The bright light seemed to be a dispersal wave of uncontrolled magic and had appeared somewhere behind Greyback. It had sent the werewolf flying out a window, only to have part of the building slam on top of him. Withdrawing from Greyback's mind, he released his hold on the limp werewolf and whirled around. That hadn't given him anything. Well, it had given him the satisfaction of knowing that Greyback was now dead.

"There's blood in the air."

"If that is your pathetic attempt to have me repent for killing him, Lupin—"

"No. I mean I smell blood, Severus." Lupin then walked gently across the rubble towards a mound of concrete chunks. He quickly started to throw them to the side, which made Sirius and Severus then help him. A few minutes later, they had dug out a ripped section of black robes.

Severus grabbed the black material from Lupin and held it, just staring down at the ripped robes. His mind was utterly silent from shock. The familiar and horrifying dark crimson liquid soaked his hands, running down his arms and dripping onto the ground. It was as if someone had taken the robes and dunked it in a bucket of red dye.

Glancing back at the bloodstained slab of concrete, Severus swallowed back his emotions. There was no dead body lying there. It was just blood and concrete. Numbly, he felt someone rest a hand on his shoulder. He felt so—she couldn't be gone. This was a nightmare, just a horrible nightmare. He would wake up, and she would be there in his arms. She couldn't be gone.

**A/N: **Please don't kill me for the cliffie. I apologize. This story is going to be either 1 or 2 more chapters after this one. I hope you enjoyed. I shall post the next chapter as soon as possible.


	2. Tears and Memories Part 1

**A/N: **So before you begin, I'd just like to say that this chapter goes from a tearjerker to happiness with everything imaginable in between. There are more adult situations in this chapter, so you're warned ahead of time again. :D Also, I do use numerous flashbacks, but I believe that I've used them in such a way that you can tell the timeline of this story. The flashbacks are shown with the italic text before it. I sincerely hope you enjoy the following two chapters. :D

**A/N2: **If you love Aurora/Severus stories, my friend DaughterOfAres has just started writing a story called "Oh My God, Severus" that you can find here on FanFictionDotNet. It does also include some James/Lily scenes, but focuses primarily on Aurora/Severus. So without further ado, enjoy. :D

**Tears and Memories Part 1**

Hours later, Severus numbly walked through the somber quarters. He didn't glance towards his children who sat on the couch staring at him. He just kept moving forward. It was the only thing he could do to keep from breaking down right there. Noticing Angel heading towards him, he held a hand out and shook his head violently at her. He couldn't. He just couldn't bear it.

"But, Daddy," the curly blond haired girl cried, reaching out for him again.

"DON'T," he roared. She recoiled from him instantly. Shaking his head, he lowered his voice. "Please, Angel, don't." His voice was ice as his insides shattered. He had to leave. He had to get away before…

Fierce as a category five hurricane, the emotional storm raged on underneath his barriers. Each step he took was heavier than the last. He had to get away. He had to get away from their accusing eyes. He had to get away from the looks of pity, fear, hidden anger, and sadness. He couldn't—no—he just couldn't take it, not again. Not after last time, not after—NO—gritting his teeth, he stalked towards his bedroom and slammed the door behind him. Somehow that distance made all the difference in his mind.

Walking, or trying to at least, towards the lavatory, Severus shed his filthy robes onto the floor. He made sure not to look at their bed as he did this. For he knew an invisible hand would squeeze his heart until it bled even more. He didn't want to feel anymore. He didn't want to feel the shattering of his heart a second time. It was painful enough the first time. He didn't have the strength to go through it again. He swallowed back the sobs that tore at his soul.

He angrily tore off his white undershirt, throwing it halfway across the room. A vase crashed to the floor a few seconds later. He yanked his pants down boxers included and kicked them as hard as he could away from him. Banishing his boots and socks, he stumbled into the lavatory, making sure to keep his eyes away from anything that reminded him of Aurora.

It was nearly unbearable, the pain, the loss, the heartache. Everything, ever fucking thing in the room reminded him of her. However, he trudged forward. He had to. He couldn't—not a—he… Shaking awfully, he staggered into the shower, which automatically caused the water to turn on. The hot jets of water barely registered for him, though.

Grabbing a washcloth, he immediately started to scrub his body. He had to rid himself of the filth…of the blood…of the pain…of the goddamn guilt. Why? That damn one-worded question screamed in his tortured mind. Why? Why did it always happen to him? Why did he always lose the women he loved? Why must he be the one to suffer the most? Why couldn't he just have a happy life? Why was he so cursed? Why had it been Aurora, not him, that was gone? Why?

Barely noticing that he was rubbing his skin raw, he scrubbed even harder. He had to get rid of the blood, her blood, but it wouldn't come off. Only more blood would appear, mixing with the water and running down the drain. Salty tears soon joined followed by loud heart wrenching sobs of grief that no one would hear thanks to the activated privacy wards.

A few moments later, his grief caused him to slide down the wall to the shower floor into a sitting position, grieving and sobbing uncontrollably. His barriers couldn't hold any of his emotions back anymore. No skilled Occlumens would be able to clear his mind tonight, not even the goddamn monster he formerly served and killer of his first love. His forehead rested against his drawn-up knees as the tears streamed out of him.

It hurt so badly. It was as if someone had repeatedly pierced his heart with a dull knife. The pain was seventy times worse than the Cruciatus, but he was just as helpless as one would be under it. They hadn't found Aurora, of course, but that didn't lessen the pain. He knew—they all knew—that there would be—no person could survive after losing the amount of blood left on the concrete slab and robes.

Loud laments poured out of him as he slammed the undersides of his fists repeatedly against the shower floor. The tiles quickly cracked and broke, causing the fractured pieces to dig into his skin and slice open his hands. However, that didn't stop him. He continued hitting the floor, just to get rid of that gnawing feeling of helplessness deeply seeded in his gut.

Hands suddenly seized him to lift him up off the shower floor. He didn't even bother to glance towards his intruders who now were dragging him away. He truthfully didn't care. He didn't care about anything anymore. He was dead inside, utterly and hopelessly lost.

"I'll contact Molly to see if she can take the kids for awhile," a voice to his left spoke. "You've got this, Moony?"

"Yes, go," the second voice answered quietly.

Silence then settled onto the room as someone gently helped him into his bed. He put up no resistance because it frankly didn't matter anyway. His life was over…again. Lying there with his head on his pillow and facing Aurora's side of the bed, his eyes glazed over. He could smell her all around him, making his heart clench painfully.

"We'll find her, Severus," the voice near him whispered. A hand soon rested on Severus's shoulder. "We won't stop until we find her."

While spoken with genuine compassion, those words only caused him more grief. The Order members had dug for hours through the building, only to find more blood and concrete. Using a standard spell to reveal whose blood it was, they had regrettably learned it belonged to Aurora and only her. The others of course attempted to lessen this blow by telling Snape that they hadn't found a body so he shouldn't give up. It was empty words on their part. He realized it. They had written Aurora off long before finding nothing. He could see it in their eyes as they dug through the rubble.

Severus wouldn't give up, though. He wasn't giving up even now twenty hours after realizing that his wife was gone. No amount of blood would deter him from finding her. No matter what the healers said otherwise, he knew that Aurora was alive. He just…he just had to find her.

Choking back more sobs, he closed his eyes. He knew sleep wouldn't come to him on this night or any other night for that matter. Grief was synonymous with insomnia after all. However, he felt the tingle of a sleeping charm instantly pass over him. He clenched his teeth and prepared for the onslaught of memories that were sure to come. Why?

~RWWL~

_Nineteen years earlier…_

Sixth-year Severus Snape stormed out of the Slytherin common room with a fierce sneer firmly on his face. He hated Christmas. Seeing all of the horrid brats cheerfully crying they had presents only managed to tick him off. He honestly didn't see why they were so gleeful. Likely, the brats' parents elected they'd rather have quiet Holidays, forcing the children to remain at Hogwarts for the Holidays instead of spending time with their families. Their parents were practically stating that they couldn't stand the horrid brats by not wishing them to come home. That was nothing to be cheerful about, but he assumed the little idiots didn't even think about that. After all, when presents were involved, no one cared what horrors their parents did unless they didn't get any gifts. He then snorted derisively. Sixteen years of not receiving a single present except Lily's pity ones had made him rather bitter where Christmas was concerned. He hated that horrid holiday. There was never any joy when it involved him. And now since he knew for a fact that he wouldn't receive even his pity one from Evans, well, that only made him more cross with the others.

"Severus?" a soft voice said behind him a few moments later.

"What do you want?" he snarled back. He had gone to the empty classroom in the dungeons to enjoy the solitude, not be annoyed by an annoying fifth-year who couldn't mind her own business.

"You rushed out before I could give this to you."

"Perhaps I wished to be alone, Sinistra. Did you consider that?" he snapped, finally glancing towards the young Slytherin. His eyes caught the small present in her hands before he scoffed. "Oh, lovely, you got me a pity present. How thoughtful," he sneered.

"I don't pity you," she defensively stated, crossing her arms. Her dark eyes flashed in anger as she glared back at him. "You know what? Fine, Severus, yes I do feel sorry for you. Now just take the damn present and be glad you got something." After tossing the small green tissue papered wrapped present to him, she whirled around and stormed back out of the room. The door slammed shut behind her, causing several nearby empty potions bottles to rattle.

"Melodramatic witch," he muttered. Carefully unwrapping his present, he sighed a moment later when he found the black velvet box underneath it. He quietly opened it and narrowed his eyes immediately on the black pendant on a thin silver chain staring back at him. The words 'In darkness, there is light' roughly translated from Latin were engraved into the silver surrounding the black gem.

As his fingers gently brushed against the smooth stone, some rare form of powerful magic seeped into his body. He could feel the pendant's enchantment surround his magical core before blending with it. It was an odd sensation to say the least. Why had she given this to him? What was its purpose? More importantly, what the hell was it doing to him?

His fingers recoiled from the amulet. A searing pain had caused him to cry out unexpectedly as his Dark Mark burned. However, his Mark hadn't felt as if the Dark Lord had summoned him. It was a different type of burn. Could this be some form of protection amulet to keep him from going completely dark?

Snapping the box shut again, he whirled around and briskly walked back towards the common room. The second he had stepped into the room, his eyes searched for the curly-haired fifth-year. He found her standing off by herself on the far side staring out a window.

"What is _this_?" he sneered, clutching the box in his hand.

"A Christmas present," she replied with a soft sigh, refusing to look at him.

"I know that, Sinistra," he snapped back. "I mean, is this a protection amulet?" When her head snapped towards him with a look of surprise, he realized at once that she hadn't known about its power. He then nearly yelped when her hand latched onto his wrist prior to her yanking him towards the dorm. Not really understanding why he wasn't snarling at her for doing such a thing, he found himself obediently following her down to the boys' dormitory. A few seconds later, he nearly squawked in outrage when she walked straight to his bed and sat down on it, pulling him down beside her.

"Why are you getting so upset over it?" she asked as if being in the boys' dormitory and sitting on his bed wasn't anything out of the ordinary. "I mean, yes, fine, Severus, I'll admit that it is a form of a protection amulet." She then ran a hand through her thick hair before sighing. "According to the shopkeeper I bought it from, it will portkey you anywhere you want. You first have to set it to your designated place before using it, however, but I thought it would come in handy considering."

"Considering what?" he growled.

"Oh, honestly, Severus," she huffed before shoving his left sleeve up to expose his Dark Mark. "Considering that you have that, I'd have thought you'd like to have something like this."

"Does it work?" he asked, ignoring her rash action. After all, she had known about his being a Death Eater for at least half the year, and there hadn't been any…ill effects from that yet. Had he been anyone else, he would have been salivating over this amulet then. The possibilities were endless with something like this in his hands. Never again would he lose points for sneaking out to a Death Eater meeting.

"Well, let's try it out then since you're convinced I'd buy you junk," she muttered under her breath. Huffing in annoyance, she gently pulled the necklace out of its case and handed it to him. Once it was around his neck, the young Slytherin girl softly recited an unfamiliar incantation, tapping her silver wand once against the black gem. "Are you ready?" As soon as he nodded, she said, "Home."

A familiar tugging behind his navel alerted to him that it had worked. A few seconds later, when the blurring finally stopped, he found himself falling hard into a snow bank with Aurora beside him. He glared at her instantly, feeling the wet fluffy snow soaking his robes. Had he not been so invested in his Death Eater duties, still pining after Lily, and had a normal childhood, he would have kissed Aurora right then.

Adorning her thick, curly dark hair were big snowflakes. Her eyes were alight with playfulness as she stared back at him. A coy smile then slowly flooded her face.

"You look ridiculous," she said laughing.

He didn't respond. Instead, he stood up and stalked back towards the castle, ignoring her attempts to call out to him. He didn't need anyone laughing at him, least of all a bratty fifth-year. Though, he'd admit that he did enjoy his present. The amulet softly hummed in sync with his heartbeat. He could feel its power coursing through his body.

"All right, Severus, all right, I apologize," she yelled after him.

Stopping just in front of the Grand Staircases, he lingered a bit so she could catch up to him. The clicking of boots against the stone floor alerted him to her progress. He sighed when he felt her presence beside him a few moments later. Glancing towards her, he patiently waited for her to speak.

"I didn't mean it when I said that. I was trying to be flirty with you."

He kept his tongue firmly in his cheek to prevent his saying that was obvious. He couldn't understand why she kept trying to throw herself at him. Granted, he had stuck up for her with the others and informed them that she was off-limits, but that didn't mean anything. He just horrifyingly could relate with the fierce bullying she experienced from the other Slytherins. Not really paying attention to her rambling anymore, he glanced up and caught the mistletoe above them. He really hated this castle sometimes. Sighing, he decided there was only one way to shut her up so he could continue about his day without the annoying witch. He leaned in and kissed her before stalking away, leaving a very shocked Aurora Sinistra under the mistletoe.

~RWWL~

_Five years later…_

Prior to the start of his second year of teaching, Severus found himself graced with the Headmaster's annoying presence. He sighed, but didn't glance up from his cauldron. He knew whatever Dumbledore had to say would be said in the next few moments.

"Ah, there you are, my boy," a cheerful Albus Dumbledore spoke. "By chance, you haven't spoken with our new Astronomy Mistress, have you?"

"I've been rather busy with Pomfrey's potions, Headmaster."

"Yes, I'm sure you have been. However, I would appreciate it if you met your reserve before the start of the new term."

"Is that an order, Headmaster?"

"Not unless you make me do so, Severus," he replied.

"As you wish, Headmaster," he responded, inclining his head. He then listlessly flicked his hand towards his potion to spell it into stasis before sighing. "I shall do so immediately then." He didn't even wait to be dismissed before heading out the door. He might have respected Dumbledore tremendously, but that didn't mean that he enjoyed the man's presence, though.

He of course hadn't met the witch yet because he had been in the Hospital Wing recovering from injuries inflicted upon him earlier in the week. Though, today the little dunderheads would arrive. He couldn't avoid it any longer. Not even stopping to knock, Snape threw open the door and stalked into the Astronomy professor's office. His eyes darted about the room to find his…colleague.

He found the witch bent over attempting to reach something behind her filing cabinet. Her outfit certainly didn't leave much to the imagination. In fact, if her skirt was hiked any higher, he'd be looking right at her knickers. Though, she did seem to have very attractive legs.

Opening his mouth to start his rant, he found himself instantly cut off by a loud scream followed by a white blouse hitting him in the face. The smell of fresh raspberries hit him like a Hippogriff as he inhaled her smell. Angrily, he plucked it off and threw it back at her before catching the green lacey bra. For the lack of anything better to say, he decided to trudge forward and rant what he was going to say.

"As the Reserve Head of House," he croaked, swallowing harshly. "It will be your job to…" His tongue felt horribly thick. "You shall…" Granted, he wasn't staring at her breasts anymore, but the image was seared into his memory. "You shall deal with the—Dammit, woman, put your damn shirt on!" Who the hell was this witch to think she could dress that way in a school full of hormonal boys?

Once he was absolutely sure that it was safe for him, he glanced back at her again. Luckily, she had actually managed to put the shirt back on. The witch looked horribly familiar to him, but he couldn't place a name to her face. Then again, it could be the badly applied glamour to her face that was slightly bothering him.

"As the Reserve Head of House, you shall deal with the overly emotional brats who can't get over their parents shipping them off here. I would also appreciate it if you were the one to speak to the young ladies about maintaining proper decorum at all times. Preferably not dressed like a common whore, however. Do you have any questions?"

"I shall attempt to dress more conservatively next time, Professor," the young witch replied, folding her arms across her chest. "Do you have any other useful suggestions that don't stem from you needing a good shag, or are those all of them?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, honestly, Professor, I can see your happy wand from here. You are in need of a good—"

"I'm not quite sure where you're from, Miss, but—"

The door behind Severus then suddenly opened. A cheerful voice rang out behind them, "Oh, good, you've met each other." The twinkling blue eyes from the intruder then shifted between the two professors as he walked further into the room. "I don't suppose either of you would care for a lemon drop perchance?" asked the Headmaster.

"No thank you, sir," they both replied respectfully.

"Ah, I suppose you've already made your introductions then, Severus?" He then glanced towards the witch, not caring about the younger wizard's response. "Might I if I could reapply the glamour to your face, Miss Sinistra?" When she inclined her head, Dumbledore smiled back and passed his wand over her face.

Severus, however, stared at the witch. She had certainly grown up since he last saw her. Sighing, he shook his head. He had never heard that vulgarity from her before. When he noticed her visibly relax, he pursed his lips. She hadn't recognized him either.

~RWWL~

_Six years later…_

Sitting at his desk, he muttered to himself why on earth he took this teaching job. He had been teaching now for almost eight years, and it was the same old bullshit he put up the previous years. His students didn't care about Potions. The little dunderheads were more concerned with sticking their damn wands in their ears to feel the tickle of their magic than learn something useful. Scaring the crap of them was entertaining and all, but it sadly got boring.

Severus glanced over the ridiculous excuse of an essay and snorted a couple of times as he took a drink from his tea. The idiot thought Wormwood was worm excrement left on trees. In his familiar way of insulting his students by which he meant grading of course, he wrote, "Perhaps next time you will actually read the assignment instead of undressing Miss Tonks with your eyes, Mr. Weasley" with a slash of a big 'T' next to the comment.

Yet again, Charlie Weasley had managed to get a Troll. No doubt, he'd have the Gryffindor's annoying mother in his floo again tonight. He had just regained his hearing yesterday finally from his last meeting with the redhead.

The door to his office opening, however, made him sigh heavily. There was only one person other than Dumbledore who would burst into his office like that.

"Yes, Sinistra, what do you need?" he asked before glancing up. His brain immediately disconnected from the rest of his body at the sight in front of him. _Holy hell,_ he thought, staring at the witch. Pricking himself with his quill, he gulped when he didn't wake up but bled instead. She was actually there…in front of him…wearing _that_.

Rather simple in its design, Aurora's dress didn't make it any less appealing to his senses. Practically sleeveless, the red mini dress was nothing more than a single piece of material wrapped snugly around her midsection. In fact, the very top of her dress looked like an attempt to put on an infant's jacket. Her bust practically overflowed, and if he squinted just right, he likely thought he would see a nipple peeking out. His eyes then trailed down towards her legs. If she bent over he'd see her knickers…or lack thereof judging by the absence of her panty line. He swallowed.

"Sorry, sorry, I know I said I'd pick it up last week, but then time got away from me again."

His dark eyes watched her approach his desk slowly, taking in every single curve on her slender body. The sound of her heels echoed around the room. Swallowing, he brushed invisible dust from his trousers to keep things down. He could smell the potent jasmine lingering around her, which made him nearly choke on his spit. Watching her dark curls bounce freely on her shoulders, he took in the rare grace. He couldn't look away. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn't look away.

"Severus?"

A sudden snapping of fingers made his head jerk up. "What?"

"I asked if I could have the potion now." Her rich chocolate eyes soon narrowed on him suspiciously. "Severus, are you all right?"

"Yes, of course I am," he growled irritably. He was mostly angry with himself for reacting in such a juvenile way with her. He had been around gorgeous women before and hadn't had this issue. Shaking his head, he stood up and quickly walked out of his office. Why the hell was he thinking she was gorgeous? It wasn't as if he was interested in the witch that way anyway.

Snatching the deep blue potion from a shelf in his private store, he returned to his office moments later to find Aurora leaning against his desk, fingering her hair. He could see the anxiousness in her face as she stared down at the floor. He wasn't totally ignorant about what her unfounded worries might be. He just didn't feel like it was his job to calm her. However, the longer he stared at her the more he felt the urge to put her fears to rest. Huffing in annoyance, he finally cleared his throat and walked towards her. Being in Dumbledore's protection had made him a practically bleeding heart now.

"Quit running your fingers through your hair, Sinistra. You look fine," he grumbled, holding out the potion to her. He noticed her jump, but he said nothing as he brushed past her to return to his chair.

"So what do I owe you exactly?" she asked, flashing a somber smile.

A part of his mind that usually was quiet screamed its response in his head. He, however, waved her gratitude away, grabbing another dismal essay from the stack. He knew she'd soon leave him once she realized that he didn't want to hear it. When soft lips kissed his right cheek a moment later, he sat there stunned, inhaling the rich jasmine that surrounded her. The voice in his mind screamed its response even louder then. Clearing his throat, he tried to ignore his growing discomfort. It was rather difficult, though, seeing as how close she was to him.

"Thank you, Severus," she whispered near his ear, causing her breath to warm his cheek.

"Yes, yes, of course, now get the hell out of here, Sinistra. I do have things that I must do this evening that don't include being annoyed by witches." He ignored her eyes rolling before she moved away from him towards the door. Perhaps now he could get some work done. Grabbing his quill, he noticed the familiar bottle with bluish liquid in front of his research books on the edge of his desk.

He glanced up to shout after her that she had forgotten her potion. However, the words never left his mouth. His eyes had found the back of her dress, and Merlin did that make him squirm in his seat. Swallowing harshly to keep himself from choking to death, he allowed his dark eyes to trail down her exposed back, taking in the tremendous amount of naked skin before him. The back of her dress was a V-cutout that came to a point in her lower back. In fact, he was fairly certain that it came to that point just before her well-shaped butt for a reason.

Once she had closed the door behind her, he sat there in his chair, pondering possible ways to deal with his tense situation. Being a skilled Occlumens, he knew that Occlumency could only work for so long before one needed to lower one's barriers to regain the necessary strength. He unfortunately had been using his barriers non-stop for the past month. So Occlumency was regrettably out of the question. Releasing controlled breaths through his nose, he tried to control it by lowering his heart rate to slow the blood flow. It didn't work, though. It only made the situation worse since the jasmine flooded his nostrils. He then tried to distract himself by thinking about the ingredients he needed to order for the next term. Even that didn't ease his discomfort. While a cold shower would definitely ease his situation, it was bit too painful to move. These were the days when he hated being a man.

It was horribly embarrassing to preach control to others when he couldn't even control his own bodily functions. He felt as if he was a fifth-year all over again, only it wasn't Lily this time that had caused this stirring in him. No, it was that foolish witch Sinistra, who so was far from a Slytherin these days that she was a disgrace in his mind. She wasn't even attractive in the slightest in his opinion.

Warding his office door to make sure that he wouldn't have any interruptions, he sighed heavily and unbuttoned his pants. He felt incredibly disgusted with himself that it had come to this, but he knew he wouldn't be able to function properly otherwise. Doing what needed to be done with eyes closed, he sighed heavily once he came back down from his high and slumped back in his chair. Cleaning the mess away magically, he buttoned his trousers again and stood up. He needed to get out of his office for a bit to get away from that damn jasmine and seared in memories of the witch leaning against his desk.

Gathering the essays a moment later, he realized something was missing from his desk. His quill was in his hand. His long ebony wand was tucked away in his breast pocket. The books he sometimes read for research were still off to the side. His stomach then lurched when he realized what it was that was missing…from a certain corner of his desk.

It couldn't have been a house elf that popped in silently to grab it for the Astronomy professor because the horrid things have never been quiet to save their lives. And everyone knew that one cannot summon a potion magically because it would destabilize the potion or cause it to smash into a wall. Since he was certain that he hadn't imagined the bottle being left on his desk before, it left only one possible explanation.

Sneering, Severus glared at the closed door. He had never felt more embarrassed in his life. Not even the infamous James Potter incident where he removed Severus's trousers in front of the entire school was this embarrassing. She had walked in on a private moment and said nothing. Clenching his teeth, he allowed his temper to get the best of him. She had after all seen him pleasure himself because of what she had worn. He would make that witch regret the day she lived.

As if Hogwarts had sensed his fury as he stormed towards the door, he found himself stopped in mid-step by what seemed to be a kiss to his cheek in the exact same area that Sinistra had kissed earlier, only no one was in the room with him. His blood ran cold as a chill moved down his spine. He could feel the magic coursing through his veins from that one sensation, proving to him that his thought that it was her invisible was false. This was different, and he knew it. It was otherworldly.

"Fine, but I'm still speaking with her tomorrow," he grumbled, moving back to his desk.

**A/N: **I'll leave it to your imaginations if it was his pendant or if it was a certain ghost in his past. :D


	3. Memories and Tears Part 2

**A/N: **All right, so the cute little bunnies in my head went on a Disney kick with the first flashback of the chapter. There should be five well-known Disney movie allusions. I have another scene with adult situations, but they just married so it's understandable. :D So the chapter starts out a little fluffy, but ends with a tearjerker. In other words, it should be a contrast of the previous chapter. :D I sincerely hope you enjoy, and so sorry if I make you cry with the chapter ending. I'll make it better with the next chapter. I promise. :D

**Memories and Tears Part 2**

_Two years later…_

Severus stood in front of his mirror, glancing at his reflection. He was getting old. He could tell by the number of wrinkles on his face. A few seconds later, he scoffed, shaking his head. He was 32 years old. He shouldn't have as many wrinkles as he did. It had to be teaching the horrid brats for so long that caused him to wrinkle prematurely. Turning around, he stalked back into his bedroom and grabbed his wand from his dresser before leaving his rooms.

The walk to his destination didn't take long. Thanks to the recent petrified attacks, there were no students out and about to catch their Potions professor dressed in his finest robes that weren't black. He had to admit he felt rather nervous about this whole thing. It'd been a rather long time for him. Sighing, he soon found himself standing in front of the lone portrait in the tower. Most of the students were unaware of this portrait's existence. Only the staff in fact knew about it, which was for good reason.

In the canvas, a thin crimson cloth wrapped around the guardian witch's breasts and lower body to shield her nakedness as the stars twinkled mischievously behind her. She wore a shimmering silver necklace with matching bracelets and anklets. Her long black straight hair shone from the serene moonlight in the background. Smiling seductively, she walked barefoot across the jagged rocks in the gentle stream towards him to greet him with her two snakes following her close. Once she was as near to him as the portrait allowed, she slowly raised her arms, making her bracelets jingle softly. Her dark eyes were full of amusement as the two boa constrictors slowly coiled themselves around her body.

"My dearest Severus," the witch purred. "What brings thou to my portrait on this fine night? It is not out of love, is it?"

"Good evening, Circe," he replied respectfully.

"Ah, yes, so it is out of love," she said with a soft laugh. "My dearest Severus, thou hast fallen for a lovely enchantress. She shall bring great happiness, but only if thou allows it."

"You are an oracle now, Circe?" he responded dryly.

"Perhaps," she answered airily. "Thou hast made a payment in blood for me?"

"I am under the impression that you would allow me entrance by my mere presence."

"Ah, 'tis true, but not entirely. Thou must make payment to me before thou may enter."

"Forgive me, Circe, but I do not wish to bloody your portrait." He was starting to get annoyed with the witch. Of course, he was rather certain that intimidating her would not be in his best interests.

"My dearest Severus, thou wilt not bloody my portrait. Thou wilt add to it with thy blood, and blood I shall have."

Realizing that he wouldn't win this argument, he pulled out his switchblade from his pocket and sliced his hand. He then passed his bloodied palm over the portrait and sighed when he heard the locks disengage from inside. Glancing towards Circe, he waited patiently for her to allow his entrance.

"Tell me. Did the Headmaster's blood give you the boa constrictors?" he asked, once a large Weeping Willow tree grew in the canvas from his blood.

"No. Miss Sinistra added them soon after I was hung. Thou wilt be late, however." Her canvas then swung open, revealing the hidden entryway.

Walking in, Severus inhaled the rich scent of raspberries that he associated with Aurora. This was the first time he had been in her rooms. It wasn't at all messy like her office was. He was actually impressed for that reason. He was half expecting a pigsty. However, her room was spotless as if she never spent time in her rooms at all. A soft sound to his left made him glance and swallow harshly.

Obsidian eyes watched Aurora slowly begin her descent down the black spiral staircase in the small entryway off to his left. He assumed it led up to her bedroom. Her white heels clicked with each step against the metal, producing a type of bell sound strangely enough. She looked amazing with her thick curly dark hair all swept up.

Made of a silky blue material, the dress glided over the black metal. Each step down caused the slit in her dress to open just a bit wider. His eyes followed the slit up past Aurora's deliciously silky legs, over the gentle curve of her slender hips, and lingered for a moment on the sequined dip of her cleavage.

The luscious low neckline slanted easily up from the center, giving the impression of a large sharp grin with sequined teeth. Trimmed into straight lines, the straps were practically just extra pieces of material attached to give Aurora's breasts extra support. Leading away from her cleavage towards her neck, the straps crisscrossed in the back. Sequins adorned the v-shaped cutout of her dress near her lower back, attaching what appeared to be a silky tail that billowed behind her. Had he been any other man, he would have chuckled at her swishy tail.

Inclining his head, he brought out a single yellow daffodil and held it out to her. He caught her shy smile immediately as she glanced towards the floor. Sometimes, she reminded him so much of that bashful first-year who annoyed the hell out of him all six years he shared with her.

"You didn't have to get me a flower, Severus."

"Perhaps not, but the horrid thing found its way to my room nonetheless. Why waste a perfectly good flower?" he replied briskly, feeling horribly uncomfortable. "You should perhaps grab your cloak before we leave. We will not be staying here for the evening." He instantly caught her surprise. "I had thought perhaps we would go elsewhere for our…date," he said with a slight grimace.

"You do realize that we don't have to do this, right?"

"You perhaps could have informed me of that before I made reservations for two," he replied. "However, it makes no difference now. I won the duel, and you are my reward."

"I'm not sure who got the shorter end of the stick then, Severus," she muttered.

"Clearly, it was me," he drawled before whirling around, stalking out of her quarters. He heard her rush after him, which made him nearly chuckle. She was always so predictable. When they reached the observatory, he suddenly held his arm out to prevent her from coming any closer lest ruin the big surprise that he had planned to the very last detail.

Whirling around once more, Severus glanced down at her. He could tell that if he wanted to, he could easily rest his chin on top of her head then. In one fluid motion, he suddenly swept her up off her feet before mounting the broom that flew to his hand. Kicking off from the floor and flying out of the Astronomy tower, he nearly laughed again when she screamed loudly, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her head into his shoulder. Yep, she was extremely predictable. Though, he was rather concerned when she started to dig her nails into his back.

While not normally a frequent flier, it was unfortunately the only way to get to their destination. Granted, he could fly without a broomstick, but he was rather convinced that Aurora would have killed him for that. Not to mention how tired he'd be flying both of them there and back. Slowly, he brought the broom lower towards the massive body of water.

"You can reach down and touch it. I've got a hold of you. That is unless you don't trust me," he said, glancing down at the massive clump of hair glued to him. His left arm effectively pinned her to his chest as his right hand gripped the broom. He was in complete control and rather relaxed despite the fact that she was practically sitting in his lap. When she hesitantly pulled back from him, he glanced down at her again. "I won't let you drown if that's what you're thinking."

"Sure you won't," she replied quietly. "So where are we going anyway?"

"Close your eyes and we'll be there," he answered calmly. He was at least half right. They'd certainly be somewhere, just not where he had reservations for. Then again, he wasn't an idiot. He was well aware that certain people from his past would be _very_ interested in where they were. Since he was rather certain that their reservations in London would be discovered, he developed a foolproof backup plan that was never really going to be the backup.

Guiding the broom into a gentle turn, he slowly started their approach towards the clearing. Once they hovered close to the already set up items, he smoothly touched back down onto the ground. His house elf had certainly gone a bit overboard with the decorations, but it was certainly a sight to behold under the stars. Helping her to stand up a few moments later, he noticed that her eyes were still closed.

"You can open your eyes now," he said behind her. He watched her closely to tell her reaction.

"Severus," she whispered awestruck once she had regained enough control. "It's beautiful." Whirling around, she glanced up at him. "Did you do all this?"

"My house elf Mokai did the decorating. I only chose the location. I take it this is acceptable?"

"It's more than acceptable, Severus. I love it."

Walking towards the raised platform that had a small candlelit table on it, Severus escorted her quietly and held the back of her chair when she sat down. He then walked around the table and took his seat across from her. This entire date might have been a sham from the start, but that didn't mean he was going to waste it either. They ate their meal without saying a word.

"So," Aurora finally said with a laugh as the silence started to get to her.

"Indeed," he replied.

"I have to admit, Severus, that I'm rather confused as to why you asked me. I mean, I get that I was your prize for beating Lockhart, but I wouldn't have thought you'd wager such a thing."

"I didn't wager anything," he admitted quietly. "I regret that my mind was on other things when our esteemed colleague mentioned it. I was not even aware of what I had replied to until Minerva later informed me after the duel."

"You two didn't give each your oaths to do this, did you?"

"Not that I'm aware," he answered. He caught the flash of anger in her eyes almost instantly.

"Forgive me for feeling ungrateful and all, but why would you go through with this then? I mean, we don't get along that well, and I'm rather convinced that you're still not over Evans." Lowering her voice and glancing away, she added, "And I doubt you'll ever be."

Severus stared at the witch in front of him unable to speak. She was more confusing than Schrödinger's cat. One moment Aurora seemed completely thrilled to be on a date with him, and then next she seemed almost…infuriated being here with him. He soon caught the brief flicker of hurt followed by a sense of uneasiness in her eyes, which made him sigh. He should have known that she compared herself to others. It wasn't the first time he had seen this ridiculousness from her.

"Aurora, I am here because I chose to be, not because that idiot Lockhart made me."

"Then why didn't you ask me before now…before you made that stupid pact with him?"

"I am unsure, Aurora, as to that reasoning. However, I assure you that my asking you here has nothing to do with Lockhart." He then gently set his napkin down on the table and locked eyes with her. "I asked you here for the sole purpose as to have one evening with you. If you wish, though, I will be more than—"

"Do you mean that, though?" she interrupted. "Did you really ask me here for an evening?"

"I do not understand," he replied, knowing exactly what she meant. He could see it clearly in her eyes what she was getting at. However, he couldn't give her the answer she sought.

"Fine, I'll be blunt then."

He instantly quelled the voice in his head that wanted to tell her to do so. He would not interrupt her. He could see in her eyes that she needed to say it.

"I love you, Severus. Hell, I've been crushing on you since I was eleven." She then inhaled slowly before glancing away. "If you're just doing this because—"

"I already stated that I asked you—"

"You stated a lot of things, Severus. It's what you do," she quipped.

"Aurora, I am here because I wish to be. You are here because I asked you. There is no sinister plot at work here." He then sighed when he noticed she didn't believe him. Hell, he didn't really believe it himself for that matter. Drawing in a slow breath, he decided to change the subject. "I perhaps did not tell you this earlier, which was a clear oversight on my part, but you do look lovely."

"I'm severely overdressed."

"You were unaware that I would bring you here," he gently replied. "Though, I will admit that I did enjoy our ride here." He then attempted to give her a small smile.

Since they were alone on an island with no one for miles, he didn't really feel the need to keep his barriers up. It was only Aurora, after all, and she had certainly proven herself trustworthy with his secrets over the years. She never informed anyone that he had taken the Dark Mark. She never told anyone that he had kissed her under the mistletoe his sixth-year. She definitely never told anyone about walking in on him once masturbating in his office. So why should he be concerned that she'd tell anyone that he attempted to smile, something he hadn't done for years? There was also the fact that once the night was over, he'd then remove the memory and set it aside so no one undesirable learned about it.

"Be careful, Severus. You might sprain a muscle," she teased with a soft laugh. "So you actually meant to ask me out? Lockhart just gave you an excuse?" she asked full of skepticism.

"I will admit that compared to other witches, you are certainly more…desirable."

"I'll take that as a compliment then." Sighing, she shook her head. "What's changed, Severus?"

"Nothing," he replied. He then scoffed. "Well, clearly, something has for me to ask you for an evening and later inform the Headmaster that he would need someone to cover my morning classes."

"Wait…what? You asked him—why?"

"It is not for the reason you are thinking," he answered rather amused by her look of shock. "I am well aware that you are not the common whore I believed you to be."

"Gee, thanks, Severus," she said with a scoff.

Since it was unusually warm where they were, he stood up, removed his outer robes, and hung them on the back of the chair. He then removed his socks and boots, leaving them next to the table. He nearly chuckled when she removed her heels. Pushing up the sleeves of his white undershirt, he walked around the table towards her and held out his hand. He caught her brief hesitation before she finally accepted. Silently, he led her over to the emptied area of the dais one could consider to be a dance floor.

Deciding to be a bit bolder than usual, he wrapped his arms around her slender waist and held her. He felt her tense up slightly, but she quickly forced herself to relax moments later. When her arms wrapped around his neck, he softly chuckled at the obvious height difference between them. Clearly, her boots she wore on any other day had a height extension charm to them.

Gently swaying back and forth to the ambient noise around them, he allowed himself to feel every sensation with her. He found it odd how calming her heart beating against his chest was. Tilting his head forward, he gently rested it against hers in a rather loving embrace.

"This island is considered by many to be the best place to view the night sky and Aurora Borealis," he quietly spoke. "It is also rumored to have a certain magical ambiance to it. Therefore, I assumed it would be the perfect setting for our first date then."

"Well, it's certainly magical," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"I concur." He then stopped, which caused her to do the same. When her head slowly lifted up, he took a step back from her. He, however, slowly raised his right hand and uncertainly placed it above her breasts. Within seconds, a reddish glow surrounded his hand and the spot he was touching.

"What is this?"

"According to certain researchers, one can tell by the luminosity given here how strong a relationship is or will be in the future. For example, if green, then the two only have a lust-filled bond."

"And if it's red?" she asked, staring at him.

"Red is typically a passionate color and associated with lovers," he answered, sounding rather clinical about the entire thing.

"Well, that's very interesting then." Drawing in a slow breath, she stared at him before laughing.

"You don't believe me?" He watched her take a step closer to him. She had almost a, well, a predatory look about her. When she leapt at him a few seconds later, he instantly braced himself so they didn't end up on the ground. Unfortunately, she didn't jump on him as he had thought. Instead, she reached a hand into his trouser pocket and snatched his wand before rushing off towards the dense forest. He just stood there for a few moments, staring after her. Her hand had been his pocket. He wasn't sure if he should be outraged or order her to do that some more. He then violently shook his head. Where the hell did that thought come from?

Since she had his wand, he rushed off after her. He couldn't believe the nerve the witch had. Honestly, to stick her hand into his trousers like that, it was… He then shook his head to clear his mind. He really should stop thinking about that. Aurora had at least a good minute ahead of him.

Sighing, Severus thought about how this was one of the weirdest dates he had ever been on. He'd been forced to have Aurora sitting in his lap the entire ride to the island. He actually smiled, and she didn't shriek like a banshee or anything as he had envisioned earlier. He had avoided an argument with her, only to have her steal his wand then. And now he was chasing after her in attempts to reclaim said wand from the little kleptomaniac. Could this night get any weirder?

The bushes next to him suddenly shook followed by a low warning growl. He instantly went on his guard. He hadn't read an indication of fauna being on the island. However, nothing leapt out at him luckily. Taking several steps closer, he found the bush devoid of life. Whatever had been there was gone, but it left its tracks behind.

Transforming into his Animagus form, he silently lowered his nose against the soft earth. Within seconds, he smelled the familiar scent he was searching for. His keen eyes then caught the tracks in the dirt leading further into the forest. Without a doubt, he knew he was tracking the right female.

Sprinting alongside the paw prints, he quickly caught up to his furry target. He peeked out from behind the thick tree trunk that he hid behind and glanced towards her. Her sleek tan coat with black spots shone majestically in the moonlight. Noticing her lower her head towards the gentle stream, he watched her take a drink from it.

Cautiously, he slowly moved closer to the jaguar. Her head rose immediately, and her eyes watched him make his slow approach. Lowering his own head, he took a drink from the stream not that far from her. He could see that she was attempting to ignore him, but that didn't seem to be going well. When she glanced back at him, he growled in amusement before brushing past her. He could feel her eyes on him the entire time, which only made him more amused.

Why he hadn't changed back yet was beyond him. Yet again, so was the fact that he leapt off a precipice into the water a few seconds later. Splashing into the water, he quickly swam back up to the surface. As soon as he saw her searching for him, his arms wrapped around her neck before he pulled her into the water with him. When she quickly scrambled out of the water moments later, he followed her out calmly with an amused look. She always hated the cold, and that water was freezing.

Within seconds, Aurora shifted from her Animagus form. Her dress clung to her, and her thick curly hair was horribly matted. She shivered, glaring at him as he morphed back with a wide grin.

"I cannot believe you."

"Shouldn't have stolen my wand," he drawled, folding his arms across his chest. He then noticed the fireflies around them, which made him chuckle quietly. "I think they're trying to tell us something."

"Likely that you're a bastard," she quipped, casting a drying spell on herself.

"No. I think they want me to do this," he responded before tipping her head up and brushing his lips over hers. He didn't know how to describe it, but it felt right to him at the time. Their kiss was gentle and sweet. Pulling back a second later, he stared at her. He could move on. That kiss proved it.

~RWWL~

_Five years later…_

He married Aurora in front of all their friends and family, namely hers. They had shared the traditional bride-groom dance, but he could tell that his blushing bride was horribly distracted by something. Luckily, it didn't take long to figure out what 'it' was.

At the time, he had been attempting to find Albus to speak with the older wizard about what would happen with his godson Draco since the Malfoys were found earlier dead in their manor. As he walked past an opened door, however, a hand latched onto his wrist, yanking him into the room. It had caught him off-guard so his first reaction was to fight back at his attacker. Lips on his gave away his so-called attacker's identity immediately, though.

"Aurora, what are you doing?"

"We have ten minutes before they realize we're missing," she replied seemingly out of breath.

"Ten minutes to do what?" He felt incredibly stupid when he felt his belt being undone a few moments later. "Aurora, we can't do this, not now," he whispered, placing a hand on top of hers. "We have guests that are waiting for us downstairs. We can do this later."

"I don't want to wait later," she whispered in a sing-song voice.

"Nor do I, but that's how it's going to be." His words clearly fell on deaf ears, though, as his pants and boxers fell to the floor. "We can't do this."

"Yes, we can," she happily sung in a very soft voice.

"Aurora, stop please." His hands grabbed her roaming ones. "I understand your need to rush. I admit that I too am guilty for thinking of whisking you away to a closet or something, but I want our first time together to be…meaningful."

"Oh, this will be very meaningful," she purred.

"Sex in an unknown darkened room is not meaningful," he replied. "It's shagging."

"I know, and I don't have any issues with that. Now, shut up and shag me, Severus."

"While I'm flattered tremendously by your exuberance, I have to decline out of respect for you."

"I don't want respect, Severus. I want you inside me."

Hanging his head, he sighed heavily. He was rather certain that Slytherin ingenuity wouldn't be enough with his bride tonight. She had that look in her eye like a hyena stalking its prey. Drawing in a slow breath, he stared at her, trying to figure out the consequences like any good Slytherin would do. If he conceded, then their first time together would not be as amazing as he had hoped. If he didn't, well, there was a rather good chance that someone would find his naked, unconscious body somewhere in the manor. He did after all lose a few duels with her rather badly before. She was clearly capable of it again.

"I want this to be special, Aurora, and doing this now would be anything but."

"You're right, Severus," she replied quietly a few moments later. She then laid her hands against his chest. "I apologize for nearly jumping you."

"You do realize that my lower half is completely uncovered, right?" He heard her laugh softly.

"Sorry, I got carried away."

"Just a little," he replied with a snort, pulling up his trousers.

"Do you really mean that, Severus? That you want our first time to be special?"

"I do." For a few moments, he just stared at her, catching the unease in her posture. He should have known his words would have unsettled her. She likely hadn't encountered many wizards who respected her as much as he did.

"That's rather sweet," she quietly replied.

Severus narrowed his eyes. Since he had expected much more resistance than that from his bride, he knew without a doubt that she was planning something. He'd certainly have to word his responses more carefully from now on. Aurora, despite her Hufflepuff tendencies, was a model Slytherin when she wanted to be. And he was rather certain that she wanted to be a Slytherin tonight.

"Then again, I should have known you'd say that. You might be a bastard 98% of the time, but you do have your 2% sweet moments." She then gently laid her head against his shoulder. "I don't even know why I'm rushing this. We have the rest of our lives together."

"Likely you are doing so because your feelings for me are so strong."

"We once stated if we took our relationship further that it wouldn't be purely sexual."

"And it isn't," he replied.

"Yet I nearly made it into one."

"Well, sex isn't necessarily a bad thing. We are both adults in a stable relationship. It's perfectly natural that we'd be sexually active more after marriage." He then sighed as his words echoed back to him. He was practically talking her into shagging him now. Honestly, how had the roles reversed so quickly? Hadn't he just been telling her to wait? Now, here he was, practically begging her to shag him. "Aurora—" When the door opened, he instantly took a step back and glanced towards their intruder.

"Forgive me for intruding upon you both, but I was under the impression that you wished to speak with me, Severus." Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled mischievously as he glanced at both of them. "I didn't catch you at a bad time, did I?"

"No," Snape answered quickly. Judging by the look the Headmaster was giving him now, his reply was a little too fast to avoid suspicion. "I'll speak with you later," he spoke to Aurora before attempting to walk out of the room.

"Oh, no need to leave your bride, my boy, especially not on your wedding day." Dumbledore then laid a gentle, reassuring hand on the younger wizard's arm. "I only wished to inform you that I've spoken with an official in Child Services. He assures me that there is no reason to remove young Mr. Malfoy from your custody, Severus."

"They are turning a blind eye to my past then, Albus?"

"It's more along the lines that you could be no worse than young Mr. Malfoy's own father."

"Such high standards they hold me to," Severus responded with a derisive laugh.

"Indeed. Now, if you forgive me, my boy," he warmly said as he pulled out a mauve flask and took a swig from it. Within seconds, the older wizard started to thin. His hair darkened and morphed into black shoulder-length locks, while his nose lengthened and hooked. It wasn't long before Albus Dumbledore was replaced by a cloned Severus Snape who wore emerald robes with charmed in slithering silver snakes. The robes, however, quickly became the same as original Severus's. "I expect you two dunderheads are aware of my intentions now," the rich baritone voice drawled as obsidian eyes twinkled in the familiar Dumbledore way. Whirling around, Polyjuice Severus briskly walked out of the room with his black robes billowing behind him.

"Well, that was certainly interesting," Aurora quietly replied next to Severus.

"I concur." Glancing towards his wife a second later, he sighed. While normally he wouldn't wear his emotions so openly, he did so with Aurora. In fact, he'd admit he was practically salivating with the newfound chance to get away with his bride. "However, he has provided us with a means to disappear for awhile." He watched her lips curl upwards slightly as she caught his meaning.

"Oh, yes, so he has," she said with a lopsided smile. "What to do. What to do." Letting out a short squeal of delight, she found herself being swept her up off her feet.

After he had apparated them from her parents' manor directly into the master bedroom at Prince Manor, he slowly carried his wife over to the four-poster bed decorated in Slytherin colors. He could see the sheer glee in her face as she stared back at him with eyes full of warmth and love. After gently setting her atop of the comforter, he quickly joined her. His heart pounded hungrily against his ribcage as he kneeled before her on their bed. His mind was filled with thoughts of what he could do to her, but not a single thought formed coherently enough for him to act on.

With growing and painful discomfort, he took a few moments just to stare at her. He could tell his inaction was frustrating her slightly since she wasn't getting her way quite yet, but he was going to take his time with her. He would not lose himself to the lascivious thoughts that clouded his mind no matter how badly he wanted to. He was in control of his desire, not the other way around.

"Severus," she softly purred, staring up at him with a soft smirk.

He wanted to tell her everything that was going on his mind. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked, how desperately he desired her, how badly he wanted to worship her, and how he never wanted to leave their bed again as long as she was lying there beside him. The words wouldn't leave his throat, though. Sighing, he settled on one thing that would sum up everything.

"I love you," he whispered. His lips then found hers, and the desire quickly took over.

~RWWL~

_Fourteen months before the tragedy…_

Severus experienced the scare of a lifetime. It had been the morning after their first date night so they woke up in one another's arms in twisted sheets. In fact, he woke up to Aurora lying on top of him with her hair all fanned out on his bare chest. Her right hand rested against his inner thigh, and her left hand braced her so she didn't roll off him.

Carefully extracting himself from her, he quietly got out of their bed and went to the lavatory to take a quick shower. While his wife's contract stated that she didn't have to attend the mandatory breakfast in the Great Hall, he unfortunately didn't have that option. His first class was at nine, meaning his attendance at breakfast with the horrid brats was compulsory.

Sighing heavily, he glanced towards his reflection in the mirror before scoffing at the angry red marks on his neck. It would be the perfect day to wear a turtleneck in his opinion. After all, there were too many prying eyes sitting at the High Table. Not to mention how his young daughter would react if she saw the marks, which reminded him. He would have to thank Harry this morning for watching Angel last night.

Stepping into the shower, Severus released an immediate groan as the water jets turned on by his mere presence. While he was accustomed to the cold dreary dungeons, he'd admit that he always took steaming hot showers that made the lavatory into a sauna. There was just something soothing about a hot shower, especially after a night long of lovemaking.

Grabbing a shampoo bottle from the shower basket, he quickly lathered his hands before washing out all the grime that had collected in his hair since yesterday. Thankfully, he didn't need to worry about its usual grease anymore since he had finally discovered a formula that dealt with that. The only drawback was that witches now frequently expressed wishes to run their fingers through his hair since it was so soft and silky. There were only two witches he'd ever allow to touch his hair: his wife and daughter. He wasn't a dog after all.

His fingers instantly stopped massaging his scalp when he inhaled the rich vanilla scent. His eyes then opened, and he glanced at the bottle he had set back in the basket. Gritting his teeth, he held back his urge to swear. He had grabbed the wrong stupid shampoo bottle. He could only imagine the looks he'd get today at breakfast.

Quickly rinsing out his hair, he inhaled more of the vanilla extract, which made him clench his teeth even more. How could he have been so stupid? Granted, his and Aurora's shampoo bottles were the same color, but there was a definite difference between the two. Shaking his head, he grabbed the wash cloth, lathered it up with his body wash (which he ensured was his this time), and scrubbed the dirt from his body.

While the majority of the castle's inhabitants likely thought that he cared little about personal hygiene due to the grease that had always been associated with him, they were incorrect. In fact, when it came to his cleanliness, he was somewhat of a clean freak. He just had been cursed with his bastard father's greasiness and the hazards of being a Potions Master.

Once he was finished, he turned the water off and carefully stepped out of the shower onto the green mat. He silently dried himself off, smiling when he felt eyes watching him from the doorframe. Only his close family had seen him smile lately. The others (his coworkers and such) didn't need to see that in his opinion. Slowly, he glanced up and met his wife's gaze.

"I'm beginning to think you like to watch, Aurora," he drawled.

"Well, there is nothing sexier than a naked man drying himself off," she quipped with a smirk. Her silver nightgown hung loosely on her body as she leaned against the doorframe. "After all, you never know what might pop up."

"Your father would be appalled by your vulgarity."

"I can't think of a single thing we did last night that wouldn't horrify Orin, Severus," she replied with a short laugh. "I'd say he'd find his son-in-law's behavior last night to be rather scandalous. Don't you?" she asked, slowly lifting the bottom of her nightgown up to expose the mark to her inner thigh.

"Touché," he replied, inclining his head. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I do have to get dressed."

"Ah, but, Severus, I like this view, though," she whined, sticking her bottom lip out at him.

"I bet you do."

"Well, I'll leave you to get dressed. Remember, though, that we were going to try that potion."

Aurora didn't need to elaborate for him. He knew specifically which potion she was discussing. It was what he referred to as the 'I don't want to be a thirty-five year old father with two children under the age of five' potion. Their four year old was tough enough to keep up with by herself. Add another child on top of that and it would kill him. Thanks to his Death Eater and spying days, age unfortunately was already beginning to take its toll upon him. His joints sometimes creaked and ached horribly.

They tried the common contraceptive charm, but that had…undesirable effects on him. Madam Pomfrey still couldn't look at him for more than a few seconds before quickly retreating back into her office barely containing her laughter. So much for being professional he'd always think.

They were now onto the contraceptive potions, which luckily he could brew in the privacy of their home without anyone having to know their business. Unfortunately, this was one of the last methods they could use since he was allergic to latex, which he'd have to use if they tried the Muggle way of things. Well, there was always the abstinence method, but with a wife like his that wasn't going to happen. He enjoyed their time together just a little too much. Though, what could he say? She brought the dirty old man out in him.

"I'll bring it to you shortly," he replied curtly.

"You better or we're having another baby, Severus," she said with a short laugh walking out.

He shivered instantly. The thought of more children running around their quarters was slightly horrifying. There was no way he could deal with the frequent wailing at two in the morning anymore. Unfortunately, Aurora was right, though.

It was just a few weeks ago that they had learned the good news from Pomfrey. During Aurora's fourth-year, Bellatrix had carved the Dark Mark into her arm. Someone, likely the Dark Lord, then spelled a fertility charm into the wound to enchant it to a specific person's magical signature. In Aurora's case, it was her husband. So thanks to the Dark Lord, his crazy ideas about breeding, and a little dumb luck, Severus and Aurora were guaranteed a pregnancy until she gave birth to a boy. This, however, was the same condition needed to break the curse on Severus using the Prince name.

Quickly tossing on some clothes, he briskly walked out a moment later and headed towards his private laboratory. The deep pink bottled liquid on his worktable instantly caught his attention. Why he hadn't brought it with him last night was beyond him. Well, not really, he was rather…busy at the time. Whirling around, he walked back towards their bedroom and calmly handed the potion to her as she sat on the edge of the bed brushing her hair.

"I don't have to do anything else, do I?"

"No. It only requires you to drink it," he replied.

"Well, let's hope this works then." She softly laughed when he kissed her cheek a moment later. "I'll see you later?" she asked with a smile as he grabbed his wand from the nightstand.

"I have a meeting with Albus this morning," he explained. "He wishes to go over some of the intelligence I gathered. I shall return after breakfast to drop Angel off, though."

"I'll be waiting then."

He only inclined his head before spelling his boots on and walking out of their quarters. Any other time he would have used his Floo to meet with the Headmaster, but he felt like walking this day strangely enough. Sighing, he continued down the darkened corridor. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he had a rather bad feeling about something in his gut.

Once he had finished with his first class of the day, he calmly walked into his quarters. He luckily had an hour break that technically was designated for office hours. However, the day he had a brat voluntarily come to his office for help that wasn't Slytherin or Granger was the day he'd announce his retirement. While he had earlier stated that he'd bring their four year old with him to their quarters, he didn't do that. It wasn't by choice, though. Angel nearly threw a fit in the middle of the Great Hall when he had approached the subject with her so he left her with her brothers. Of course his daughter's peculiar reaction against seeing her mother only made the bad feeling in his gut worsen.

Walking through their quarters, he headed towards the bedroom. No doubt his wife had crawled back into bed after he left. Thinking nothing of the door still being closed, he opened it and crossed his darkened bedroom before sitting down on the edge of their bed. Sure enough, he was right. Aurora was all covered up sleeping.

The dark didn't allow him to see that much of her face, but he did see a stray curl hanging down. He gently reached towards her to brush it back as he always did. His fingers, however, immediately became damp from the quick touch. Flicking his hand towards one of the candles in the room, he spelled it on as he feared the worst.

Her long dark curls stuck horribly to her sweat-drenched and flushed face. Her closed eyes moved back and forth as she continued to dream non-peacefully. Her breathing quickly turned into soft gasps for air. Her silver nightgown stuck to her like saran wrap as her chest rose and fell.

Acting on pure instinct, he threw the covers back from her and picked her up out of their bed. He did his best to ignore the feverish warmth she gave off. He quickly attempted to carry her to the Floo, but stopped at the doorframe of their bedroom when her gasps became more desperate sounding. Casting his Patronus, he watched the ethereal doe leap through the door and charge off towards the Hospital Wing. He knelt down with Aurora still in his arms. Brushing back more of her curls, he held her close to him, feeling horribly helpless. He only knew minor Healer spells.

Footsteps heading towards them made his head snap towards the door. He watched Madam Pomfrey quickly rush down the corridor towards him with her wand drawn. She was clearly in Healer mode already. He said nothing when the Healer's wand expertly passed over Aurora.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's having some sort of reaction, Severus." A blue light then passed down the witch in his arms. Within seconds, Aurora started to convulse, causing Pomfrey to cancel the spell immediately. The seizure stopped within moments with the young witch going limp once again. "I've never seen anything like this," she quietly said under her breath. The Healer then glanced up towards him. "Did you give her the contraceptive potion?"

"Yes of course," he answered with a puzzled look.

"Oh dear Merlin," she whispered breathlessly at the scans in the air above Aurora.

"What is it?

"The fertility charm casted on her is violently reacting to your contraceptive potion. It is as if the charm is punishing her, which I suppose makes sense considering who did this to her." She then sighed quietly. "It doesn't appear to be doing any harm right now to her, though, Severus. She currently has a mild fever, which I believe we can control slightly. However, neither I nor you can undo this magically. We unfortunately have to let it run its course naturally."

"I understand," he said with a soft sigh. "What must I do?"

"Keep her upper body elevated. It will lessen the strain on her breathing. If her temperature elevates anymore, give her a lukewarm bath." She then rested what she hoped to be a compassionate hand on his arm. "Severus, it is imperative that you don't give her anything magical, though. You saw her reaction when I attempted to control her fever. We have to wait for the potion to leave her system."

Unfortunately, he had seen the reaction, and it would give him nightmares for years to come. He glanced down at Aurora and sighed. They couldn't do anything to help her. Brushing back her hair again, he closed his eyes. He could get through this hurdle. He was strong enough for it. He _was_!

"I am sorry, Severus." The mediwitch then stood up. "Alert me the second her condition worsens." She watched him hesitantly nod back. "I'll inform Albus and ask him to watch your classes." Once more she caught the slight jerky nod. "I'll see myself out then." She didn't wait for him to respond. She just calmly walked out of the room and headed to the Floo.

"Shh," he quietly whispered as he caught his wife's soft pain filled moans. He gently stood up with her again and walked back to their bed. He spelled the sheets clean and gently set her down. Pomfrey was right. It was just a mild fever. Her body temperature wasn't anywhere near 116 degrees yet. In fact, she was only at 100 degrees currently.

Conjuring up a glass of water, he calmly attempted to assist her in sipping it. He could tell that she likely hadn't a clue what was going on around her, but she trusted him. That was all that mattered.

For the numerous hours afterwards, he alternated between placing a cool washcloth on her forehead and getting her to take a sip of water. Every few minutes he'd cast a diagnostic spell on her just to check her temperature, which only made him feel worse. Her fever was gradually inclining instead of the opposite.

"Shh, Aurora, it's all right," he whispered. He had followed Pomfrey's orders and sat her up against the backboard of their bed. It did help her breathe easier. However, he could tell that it also hurt her so he quickly moved behind her and held her against his chest. He sighed as he felt that her clothes were drenched again.

Deciding it'd be better if he didn't have to keep spell-drying her nightgown, he banished it. After yanking one of the sheets from the end of the bed, he wrapped it around her to keep her from shivering. Once more he checked her temperature before sighing heavily. Her fever still hadn't broken yet.

Leaving the sheet behind, he picked her up and carried her into the lavatory. He waved his hand towards the tub faucet to spell it on and silently banished his clothes except his boxers. Very carefully, he stepped into the tub, gently lowering them to sit down. The water was a bit too cool for his tastes, but he had to get Aurora's temperature down. When the water shut off by itself, he grabbed a handful of water and poured it over her head. When she turned into his chest, he nearly laughed. He definitely could see their daughter in her today.

"Severus," she rasped quietly.

"Shh, it's all right." He held her against him. The warmth coming off her was positively scary. Hoping that it'd help, he poured more water over her. He didn't really know what else to do. Pomfrey couldn't help. They couldn't do anything to help Aurora. Her fever was still rising becoming more dangerous by the second.

Remembering how his mother had used to sing a lullaby to him when he was sick, he attempted to do the same. He wasn't really much of a singer, though, so he just hummed. He didn't know the song he was humming, and he didn't really care. He'd just keep humming to her, hoping her fever broke soon. They'd get through this. They would. They'd spend the rest of their lives together then.

~RWWL~

Back to the present-day, Severus sighed heavily as he slowly got out of bed. He didn't need anyone to tell him just how long he had been in bed swallowed by his grief. He could feel it in his stiff joints. By his estimate, he had to have been in that bed for at least a week and a half. However, since he didn't have bedsores littering his body, he clearly had moved somewhat.

"You're awake again," a voice spoke quietly from the chair in the corner.

"So it would seem," he replied softly.

"Do you want me to bring you anything, Snape?" the voice asked, now standing.

"My wife would be nice, Lupin," he responded, closing the lavatory door behind him.

The reflection in the mirror instantly caught his attention. He barely recognized the man staring back at him. The obsidian eyes were soulless again. Deep wrinkles had been etched into his scruffy face. He looked as if he had just emerged from a POW camp for the first time in years.

Rubbing his week and a half beard, he thought about shaving. He had always been clean shaven because beards in his opinion were absolutely murderous to take care of. However, he shook his head and allowed himself to answer nature's call instead of shaving. Flushing the loo once he was done, he walked back to the sink, washed his hands, and walked back out. He made sure that he didn't glance at the stranger in the mirror this time.

Sure enough, the werewolf was still standing there in his bedroom. He, however, scoffed and walked out of his bedroom towards his sitting room. He caught the two Gryffindors sitting at the island in his kitchenette. As if this could become any worse, he had Sirius Fucking Black and Bill Weasley in his rooms. Growling, he ignored both of the men and whirled around towards Lupin.

"Where are my children, Wolf?" he hissed dangerously.

"They're staying with Arthur and Molly, Severus."

"Why?" he snarled, grabbing the man's outer robes.

"I'd think that'd be obvious to you, Snape, considering that you're nearly shaking Moony like he's a ragdoll," Sirius quietly replied. He instantly let out a shriek when Snape leapt towards him with a murderous look in his eyes. He had never seen that look in the man's eyes before, not even after James was a complete bastard to him and removed the man's trousers in front of the entire school. He was saved, however, by Bill who took a step in front of Snape.

"Get the hell out of my way, Weasley," Snape hissed, baring his teeth.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that, Professor."

"Mr. Weasley, I've killed men for lesser and stupider reasons than yours. Get the hell out of my way or I will send your body back to your parents in a matchbox." His eyes were black as coals as he glared at the redhead.

"I can't do that, sir," Bill replied with a slight quiver to his voice.

A red jet of light then streaked past the redhead, striking the bookshelf behind him. Wood splinters shot up into the air with thousands of slivers of paper raining down around them like confetti. Glass around the room then crackled before violently exploding out towards them. The Gryffindors instantly cast shield charms around them with Lupin casting one around Snape.

"How about now, Mr. Weasley?" hissed Snape.

"No, sir, not even now," he answered with a large gulp.

The room violently rattled around them as Snape stared the young Gryffindor down. The large glass window pane that held back Black Lake then cracked, causing water to seep into the room. The Gryffindors glanced down at the water pooling around their feet before Remus threw a quick spell to hold back the entire lake temporarily.

"Dammit, Snape, don't you see!" yelled Sirius. "You can't even control your magic with me. Just think what you'd do when your daughter asks why her mum isn't there with her."

As if someone had popped a balloon, Snape's anger vanished. He took an immediate step back from Bill and stared at Sirius. The ass unfortunately was correct. He couldn't control himself. He didn't even want to think what could have happened if his children had been here to witness his outburst.

"Let's just, you know, take some time to cool off, okay?" Sirius then sighed. "We haven't stopped searching for her, Severus. We're going to find her one way or another. I promise, Severus."

~RWWL~

Facing the raised mahogany casket, row after row of empty white chairs sat in the small clearing on the Windsor estates like the headstones left after the first Wizarding War. A year had passed with no hope given. Slowly, the somber family walked towards their grim reminder of what they had lost. They took their seats in the front row staring straight ahead at what they knew was an empty casket. The rest of the mourners soon made their way, filling the chairs up with warm bodies. No amount of applied heating spells would ever warm the cold box in front of them nor would the breath of life ever awaken the lifelessness in it. Empty, void of any existence, a box that held nothingness, that was all it was, and all it ever would be.

"Today is a somber day," droned the quiet voice standing in front of the casket. "We are here to mourn the loss of Aurora Celestine Sinistra."

Guiltily, Severus glanced down at the ground. Even in death she didn't share his name. His in-laws had of course informed him that they'd understand if she was buried with the Prince or even the Snape name. He couldn't do it, though. He didn't want her to be buried with the Snape name because she didn't deserve that disgrace. However, he couldn't bring himself to give her the Prince name either. He knew he'd never share it with her now so he couldn't do it. Granted, it was rather selfish on his part, but he and Aurora had discussed it numerous times. She always stated that she could wait until they both could take the Prince name. It was just a name to her. It didn't hold the meaning it did for him. It was one of the various things he loved about her.

"Who gave her life valiantly a year ago during a raid," the voice continued in the background.

Brief flashes flickered in Severus's mind. He saw Aurora laughing that tragic morning as their children sat on the sofa waiting for them. He watched the seriousness enter her face as she contemplated possible strategies with Charlie Weasley at the Order meeting that afternoon. He saw her blood-soaked robes that he clutched desperately to his chest that night. The invisible knife plunged deep into his heart.

"I've been asked to forgo the usual eulogy. So in lieu of that, I will just state how deeply missed she shall be."

Severus glanced towards the casket and sighed. He had asked for no eulogy because he was unsure how long he could bear to hold back his grief. It was said that over time one's grief lessened. They were fucking liars in his mind.

"Dad," a soft voice spoke to his right.

He glanced towards Harry and inclined his head before standing. While walking towards the casket, he rubbed the silver wedding band on his left ring finger. It had been a year since he had last seen his wife, and it still didn't feel in heart like she was truly gone. The pain he felt was different from how it felt with Lily's death.

Resting a hand on the casket, he attempted to reach out to the heavens in order to bring her back. His answers were unheard, though. Sighing at yet another disappointment, he slowly walked away from the lifeless, empty box to stand off to the side, waiting patiently for the others to pay their respects. He watched Draco and Harry lift Angel and little Roxi up so they could place a hand on the casket. The boys had grown up so much that he barely could recognize them anymore. When Draco and Harry then brought the girls towards him and took their places next to him, he held his arms out and lifted the youngest child up out of her brother's arms. Holding her tightly against him, he glanced at the dark-haired toddler with Aurora's eyes.

"Momma go bye-bye?" she softly asked with big brown puddle eyes.

"Just for now, Sweet," he whispered back, pressing a kiss against her forehead. He then caught the dark eyes on him from his other little girl. "What is it, my Angel?" His watched his blond daughter whisper something in Draco's ear before the blond Slytherin slowly walked them closer.

"It's okay, little sister," the five year old said with a soft smile. "Daddy's gonna find her."

"You pruhmise?" replied his youngest.

"On my witch's honor," Angel softly answered.

Severus watched the interaction between his little girls and felt the familiar stabbing pain in his chest. Both had so much of their mother in them. He would find Aurora. He wouldn't stop until he did. He would find his wife so they could have their happily ever after. The universe owed him that much.


	4. What Remains Behind

**A/N: **Well, hello, peeps, who likely have been wondering if I fell off the planet. Sincere apologies for not updating in such a looooong time. I offer an explanation for this on my profile here, but here we go. Very sad chapter with a total heartstopper cliffie at the end. But don't despair. I finished the story. :D Enjoy. Any errors in these chapters are totally my fault because I was so excited to post.

**What Remains Behind**

Severus sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the silver frame in his hands. His fingers lightly traced the face of the smiling witch whose arms were around Harry and Draco in a loving embrace. He watched her silently laugh as the boys no doubt groaned about having another picture taken with their mother. It had been five years, and there wasn't a trace of anything to lead him to believe she was still alive. He wasn't going to give up…ever. He couldn't. He wouldn't. Not again, he wouldn't give up again. He'd use every bit of strength and energy to find her. He would. He vowed he would find her, and he intended to keep that promise.

Setting the picture frame back on his nightstand, he stood up and glanced around his bedroom. That sight only made him more irritable, though. Four years ago, he had quit teaching and moved their small family to a small cottage overlooking the rough Irish Sea to get away from the pain and grief left behind that they all felt each time they entered their quarters at Hogwarts. However, if one looked at his bedroom, one would think that time had stopped. Unopened boxes were still littered about the room. Dirty clothes were strewn about the floor. In fact, thanks to the numerous boxes and dirty clothes, there didn't appear to be a floor anymore or any sort of a path for a person to follow.

His pain clearly hadn't lessened with the move. If anything, it had made it worse. Shaking his head, he sighed. His daughters had managed to put away everything they had. So why couldn't he? He needed to make a change starting today. He couldn't just let himself get lost to the darkness. He had his children, _their_ children, to worry about.

Clapping his hand once, he sent a wave of magic towards the dirty laundry. He watched the unorganized piles quickly vanish, showing the cherry hardwood floor for the first time in years. He then walked over to the unopened boxes. However, he turned away a second later, deciding that he would unpack later. He had at least cleaned up his room. It was a start.

"Girls," he said quietly, walking into their small sitting room and taking a seat in one of the recliners near the fireplace. He didn't hear a response from either one of the girls, but he knew they heard him. When a cup of tea appeared in front of him, he glanced towards his eldest daughter.

"You looked like you needed some, Dad," she softly said, handing him the steaming tea.

"What would I do without you girls?" He watched Angel's thin smile before she walked back to the couch, sitting beside her little sister. "Anything good in the _Prophet_ today?" he asked.

"Only more people petitioning the Minister to declare Harry and Dray as National heroes," she answered, frowning before she ran her fingers through her curls.

"Your hair is turning blacker every day, Angel. If it keeps this up, you'll have your mother's curls." He noticed her flinch immediately at the mentioning of Aurora, but he said nothing about it.

"I wished it just make up its mind," she grumbled. "Harry wrote us, as did Dray."

"I see. And what did your brothers write?"

"They wanted to know how you were really holding up. They didn't believe me when I said you were fine before. Always too smart for their own good, aren't they?" She then scoffed. "It might interest you to know that I received my letter today."

"Did you?" he responded, feeling his lips slightly upturn. "Your mother—"

"I burned it," Angel interrupted, holding his gaze. "I'm not going there."

"Angel," he started to say.

"No, Dad. I'm not going, and that's that."

Staring at his little girl in disbelief, he replied, "When did you become this jaded, my Angel?" She was only eleven. Eleven-year-olds were supposed to be happy and joyful, not full of contempt and hidden anger. What had happened to his little girl?

"Just drink your tea before it gets cold, Dad," she answered coldly, standing. She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head and walking away towards her room. Her door shut behind her.

"I've made a mess of things, haven't I, my sweet?" he asked his six-year-old daughter. The little girl with her mother's eyes just stared at him before glancing down at the paper in her hands. He sighed, rubbing the tarnished silver wedding band on his left ring finger. He never took it off, and he likely never would either. Slowly, an idea formed in his head. He glanced towards his youngest and closed his eyes. "What do you think about you, your sister, and me all going to a park this afternoon?"

The little girl's brown eyes glanced at him immediately. She opened her mouth, but quickly closed it and looked down at the ground as if she was ashamed with herself. The paper slowly slid out of her hands, falling to the floor. Sounds of sniffling then come from the poor child as she attempted to hide her tears from her father.

"Roxi, it's all right," he said, quickly crossing the bridge between them. His strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a loving embrace. He rubbed her back gently, softly whispering to her that it was all right. He heard his other daughter's bedroom door open again and glanced towards Angel, who stuck her head around her doorway to glance at them.

"You're doing it wrong," the eleven-year-old said, sighing as she walked towards them. She clearly seemed to be annoyed with her dad for some reason. She then glanced towards her younger sister. "Stop crying. You're just going to give yourself a headache anyway," she said, addressing the crying six-year-old.

"Angel," he rebuked. _That_ most certainly was not the way to handle a crying child. Even he knew that. "I get that you're angry. I apologize for that. However, do not say such a thing to your sister."

His eldest daughter's eyes glared at him before she shook her head in disbelief. Everything about her screamed her anger. However, she held it in. It wouldn't do any good anyway. It never did.

However, as he held his littlest girl, he heard her sniffle softly and watched her angrily swipe the tears from her eyes. He stared at Roxi for a few moments before glancing towards Angel. Could she have been right by saying that to her sister?

"You would have known that if you would have been here, Dad," Angel snapped.

"Do not speak to me in that tone," he growled, wondering what the hell had gotten into her.

"Oh, yeah, that's right. See, Roxi, we can't get mad at him for not giving a damn about us."

"Angel Celestria Prince," he warned, glaring at her.

"Mum is dead. She's not coming back. The sooner you get that through your damn mind," she snarled. "Well, the better it will be for the rest of us. Even Harry and Draco know it. The whole damn world knows it, Dad. Why can't you?"

"You swore to your sister on your witch's oath that I'd find her. So I'm not going to stop until I do, Angel. I won't stop until I find her."

"Is that why you keep searching for her? Because I swore on that?" she asked, staring at him. "Give it up, Dad. I don't care about being a witch anymore. I haven't for a long time."

"Why?"

"Because all of the spells in the world, Dad, aren't going to bring Mum back," she said bluntly. Tears slowly slid down her pale cheeks. "You can continue to search day after day for her, but that doesn't change the fact that she's gone." When he turned away from her, Angel pleaded with him. "No, Dad, listen to me. Please just listen. Mum died six years ago. She's not coming back. I know it's hard. I know you don't want to believe it, but she's gone and she's not coming back. Roxi and I know that. Harry and Draco know it. The entire Order knows it. In short of asking Uncle Remy and Siri to beat it into your skull, I don't know how to make it any clearer. You aren't going to find her."

"I have to try," he argued.

"Look at yourself, Dad. You've been at this for six years. What have you found? More blood and more concrete, that's all. She's gone. She's dead. That building collapsed on her and killed her."

"Then why can't we find her body?" he yelled, feeling his youngest flinch in response. "Huh, Angel?" he asked. "Why can't we find her body?"

"She lost three liters of blood, Dad. No one, even Mum, can survive with that amount of blood loss. She's gone, Dad. Please just give up searching for her. We aren't going to hate you if you do. We understand. Please, Dad, please be our father again." With mostly blond hair and black curls in the back, the eleven-year-old walked towards him, sobbing as she spoke. "St-stop living in the damn past," she cried, pounding her little fists against him again. "Mum's dead. She's not coming back ever."

He pulled his eldest daughter to him and held both girls against him. He hadn't wanted it to be this way. Hell, Aurora was supposed to be with him and the girls. They were supposed to have their happily ever after, all of them. He held them tighter and closed his eyes, wishing he could take his girls' pain from them so they could be the happy eleven-year-old and six-year-old they were supposed to be.

"How," he started to say. His voice was rough with disuse and full of emotion. "How about we go to a park together today?" he offered again. He felt the girls' tears soaking into his shirt. "I know. I know, girls. Let's just—let's just go to a park today," he repeated, holding them tight. He then added a moment later, "Spend time together like a family." He sighed as he felt both girls nod against him. "Go on then, get your jackets on, girls."

He watched his girls nod slowly before they walked away together. His eldest clearly had grown up over the years. Though, he guessed she had to. He certainly hadn't been there much for his girls. He had been too focused on getting their mother back to see his girls grow up before his very eyes. He couldn't just sit there, though. He had to do something for the girls. He just had to.

"We're ready, Dad," Angel softly said, appearing beside him with Roxi glued to her side.

"Let's be on our way then, girls." He held out his hands towards them and nodded appreciatively when the girls grabbed a hold of him. "Now, before we leave, I want both of you girls to realize—"

"We're going to be around Muggles, so no magic," Angel quickly recited by heart. "We know, Dad. Roxi and I aren't going to." The eleven-year-old then knelt a bit towards her sister. "Everything is going to be fine, Roxi. Just focus on Dad and me."

He watched the encounter between his girls curiously. Just what did Angel think would happen? The war was over. It had been for years. He then caught her nod before she glanced up, waiting to leave.

"Here we go," he quietly said, apparating the girls and him to the nearby woods that was four blocks from the park. As soon as they appeared, he felt Roxi quickly press herself against him. He gently rubbed circles into her back to coax her to release him slightly. "It's all right, sweet. Angel and I are right here with you." When she gradually pulled back from him, he glanced down at smiled at her. "Are you okay now?" He frowned slightly when Roxi replied by nodding. He had yet to hear the poor child speak in her young life. Maybe she'd speak during their family time today at the park.

So, the family held hands with one another, setting off towards the park. Each of them had a goal in mind for the day, but kept it inside. See, sometime during the last pain-filled six years, they lost the ability to communicate. Would they ever regain that? Who knew?

~RWWL~

Standing off to the side, he watched his daughters swing back and forth. It was so eerily similar to when he had watched the Evans sisters that he had to look away every now and then. However, when he'd hear the soft giggles, he'd glance back and watch them some more.

He could see Aurora in both of their daughters, especially in Roxi. Angel had Aurora's curls and nose. She also had her mother's ability to empathize, even though this trait appeared to be dwindling as the years passed. Roxi, on the other hand, had her mother's eyes that were so full of life. Her laughter was an exact replica to Aurora's, and she seemed to have her mother's lack of grace, too.

"All right, girls. Time to go back," he called out to them. He caught Roxi's look of sadness instantly, but the young girl only stopped swinging and got off it. "I'm sorry, sweet. We can come back tomorrow if the weather is nice, okay?" Her face lit up for a second as she smiled Aurora's smile before she nodded and walked closer to him.

Walking on the sidewalk, they started their four block journey back to the isolated woods. The girls were quiet again, but seemed to be walking a bit more enthusiastically than before. In fact, every now and then Roxi kicked up a bunch of leaves towards her sister, giggling whenever Angel whirled around and leapt playfully towards her.

"These sorts of people are rather strange, aren't they, Dad?" his eldest asked when they were about a block from their apparation point.

"What do you mean, my Angel?"

"Look at them. They don't even seem to be wary of strangers walking their streets anymore. Have they forgotten the war that quickly? I mean, a quarter of their population was lost in it."

"To them, it wasn't a war, Angel," he replied softly. "Their newspapers reported some of the incidents as the result of arson, bombings, and serial killers. Unfortunately, all that is somewhat typical in some parts of the world."

"They don't even know," she said breathlessly before scoffing. "I wonder what they'd do if they learned that their governments had lied to them all these years."

"Likely, some would do nothing. Others would riot, I'd imagine." When he felt Roxi tug on his pants, he glanced down at her. "What is it, my sweet?" He then followed her little finger as she pointed towards someone jogging. "Roxi, it's not nice to point," he softly scolded, pushing down her arm.

He, however, glanced back at the woman running in a black hooded sweatshirt and grey sweatpants. The woman's long hair peeked out from underneath her stocking hat, airily floating behind her. His head then turned to the sound of tires squealing around the corner. Glancing back, his eyes widened as he realized what was about to occur. Within seconds, he had managed to let go of his daughters' hands and dart towards the woman jogger, who was in the direct path of the speeding vehicle. Leaping towards her, he pushed her out of the way just in the nick of time, shoving her towards the curb.

Bang! Glass shattered. Breaks squealed loudly. Something thumped the ground. Horrible screams filled the air. The driver's car door slammed shut. Black boots approached from the driver's side. Low moans and a groan of pain echoed. Harsh coughing with liquid hitting the ground followed it. The driver, jogger, and two children surrounded the bloodied man.

"Call for an ambulance! DO IT NOW!" someone screamed.

"Dad?" a soft voice whispered. "Daddy?" the voice said even quieter than before.

"He just came out of nowhere," the driver said shocked to the gathering crowd. "I-I didn't-I—oh, God, what'd I do?"

"Is he dead?" asked someone in the crowd.

"No, he's moving. Don't you see?" another person replied.

"Poor, poor man," whispered somebody. "And his children were looking on, too,"

"They're on their way," shouted a person from a stoop. "I called them, and they're on their way."

"Shh, it's all right. Shh, please don't try to speak," whispered the jogger, gently placing a hand on the victim's shoulder. "Really, don't speak. You're hurt pretty bad. The ambulance is on their way."

"M—" he said through the collected blood in the back of his throat.

"I'll bring 'em," the jogger answered shakily. "Now, just shut up until help arrives."

He groaned in response, coughing up more blood. Darkness then settled in before he passed out.

**A/N: **Don't despair, people. Severus is all right. It just seems rather dark. But as I always say, (okay, so I don't) in dark times, there is always a light. :D So, hint, the light is in the next chapter. :D


	5. Finding His Kryptonite

**A/N: **This chapter might make you scream "FINALLY, LAN." But I have to make this story semi-believable. By the way, yes, Angel does get a little testy. But she hasn't been dealing well.

**Finding His Kryptonite**

Beep. Beep. Beep. Soft talking then filtered into his ears, causing him to groan softly. He hadn't felt this bad since his all-night torture session with the Dark Lord ten years earlier. He then felt a hand on his shoulder again followed by someone talking to him. However, he was extremely groggy. He tried to concentrate on the words, though.

"Aura," he said weakly, groaning again.

"Um … no," the voice replied with a soft nervous laugh. "I'm the woman you took a car for this afternoon." The hand then moved from his shoulder to the top of his hand. "Your girls are fine, by the way. They're sleeping in the chair next to you right now."

He nodded slowly, grimacing from the dull ache that resulted from that action. He then blinked his eyes rapidly as he attempted to see the woman talking to him. That voice was so familiar.

"The doctors are all amazed that you're still alive. What are you, Superman?" she said, laughing.

"Superman?" he repeated quietly.

"Uh, yeah, Clark Kent, you know, he looked a bit like a geek when he wasn't saving people and wore tights when he was," she explained. "Well, I guess not everyone watched it. He was a superhero, though. He typically saved damsels in distress. Sort of like you," she said with a soft laugh. "Well, only he didn't end up getting hit by a car and having to be brought here to the hospital."

He snorted, blinking some more. He could almost make out her face now. She was still blurry, but he saw that she had long dark straight hair. So it definitely was not his long-lost wife then.

"Your girls are beautiful. I can only imagine what your wife looks like."

He flinched at her words but remained silent. This Muggle couldn't have known about Aurora. And he didn't want to share that with some stranger either. So he inclined his head, ignoring the pain.

"You know, I always wanted girls." She then laughed again. "Ah, hell, whom am I kidding? I'd take whatever I'd get at this point." Her fingers then rubbed the back of his hand comfortingly. "Your wife is a very lucky woman."

Swallowing back bile, he closed his eyes. "She died a few years back."

"Oh, oh, god, I'm—oh, Ellie, some days you are an idiot," she whispered, scolding herself. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't know," he replied quietly. He then glanced towards the woman, nearly choking when he saw her for the first time without a hint of blur. He'd know those eyes anywhere. He was speechless, staring at her.

"Are you all right? Do I need to get a doctor?"

"N-n-no," he stuttered. He watched the familiar warm brown eyes stare at him for a few moments before she smiled nervously.

"Easy there, cowboy," she drawled. "Those machines you're hooked up to are equipped to alert the medical staff if you get too excited. I doubt you want your girls waking up to that."

"Ellie?" he repeated, unsure of himself.

"That's what I'm called." She then laughed nervously again, running a hand through her straight dark hair. "Well, at least that's what I'm going by now. See, I honestly don't know what my real name is." Her eyes glanced away before she sighed. "I woke up in a hospital room just like this one a couple years back. At the time, my doctors told me that I had some sort of massive brain trauma or something. I had to relearn everything. They tried to find out who I really am but came up with nothing. So I got a new identity, Miss Ellie Dawson, forty, resident of Berkshire. But enough about me, though. What about you? Who are you?"

"Severus Snape, forty-one, resident of a small cottage near the Irish Sea," he answered.

"And your girls?" she asked, smiling.

"Angel's the oldest, and my little one, Roxi," he replied quietly.

"Well, they really are beautiful, Severus."

"They get that from their mother."

"Eh, I'd say their dad's not too bad looking either," she said with a soft smile. "That is if he shaved, I mean. You're getting a little scruffy there, Severus."

"Miss Dawson, are you flirting with me?" he asked, forcing his face to remain serious.

"Maybe just a touch," she replied, leaning towards him.

Without a thought given to his actions, he captured her lips, deepening their kiss instantly. He inhaled her smell, noticing that she didn't smell like raspberries or even strawberries. Instead, he smelled tangerines with a hint of passion fruit. However, the kiss, oh, that kiss was the same as always.

"Mr. Snape, do you always snog your damsels in front of your children?" she teased softly. "Well, I'll get the doctor and see how long you have to stay." Her warm eyes then narrowed on him.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just odd. I mean, you were hit by a car, Severus. Not a lot of people wake up from that the same day it happens. And they most certainly aren't feeling well enough for that." She shook her head, still staring at him. "It's almost as if you're healing yourself. But that's absurd, isn't it?"

"Perhaps I am this Superman person then," he replied, locking his eyes with hers.

"Well, I'd be careful whom I told that to, Severus. You're likely to get locked up for that sort of thinking. As it is, the doctors are wondering about you. I wouldn't draw too much attention to myself if I were you. I'll be back in a moment." She then walked out, closing the door behind her.

"Well, I'll be damned."

"I didn't like it when your brothers said that, and I most certainly don't appreciate it when you say it, Angel," he replied, glancing towards his eldest.

"How'd you know, Dad?"

"I didn't."

"So you're telling us that you jumped in front of that contraption to save some strange woman, who didn't even have the foresight to look before she ran into the street?"

"Contraption, foresight?" he repeated, glancing towards his daughter. "You've been around me too long, my Angel."

"A little knowledge never hurt anyone, Dad," she replied with a sigh. "You know, she's right by the way. Healing yourself is going to draw unwarranted attention. Maybe you could leave a couple of broken bones or possibly stay being weak?"

"Or maybe you can stop being a little know-it-all?"

"She's coming back," Angel suddenly said, "and there's a doctor with her."

"Well, sit down, will you?"

"Why?"

"She'll know you were faking it then."

"Fine," Angel said with a loud sigh. The door then opened, allowing the two guests to walk back in. "Hello," she quietly said to the two.

"Sneaky little girl you have there, Severus," she said, glancing towards him.

"She gets that from her mother as well," he replied.

"Actually, I get that from both of you, Dad," Angel argued.

"Well, let's see how you're doing, Mr. Snape," announced the doctor, walking closer. The doctor then gently started to press around his stomach, taking note of any tenderness. "Hmm, well, that's strange." The man's blue eyes narrowed on him. "Are you feeling any pain, sir?"

"I have a very high tolerance of pain."

"So it would seem," the doctor replied, staring at him oddly. "Unfortunately, you're going to have to stay here for observation."

"How long?" asked Severus.

"That's to be determined. I have to make sure there isn't any internal—"

"I won't bring about any claims that you failed—"

"Fortunately, I don't listen to any patients that might have brain injuries." He then glanced towards the girls. "Do you have any family in the area?"

"Um, yes, I think," Angel answered. "I mean, I can talk to Uncle Remy and see where he is."

"Well, the phone's right there. Just hit '1' to dial out." The doctor then glanced back to Snape. "I'll be back in a bit to examine you." Whirling around, he quietly walked out of the room without another words said.

"Well, that was odd. Do you want some help with that?"

"Um, no," Angel said nervously. "What's his number, Dad?"

"Bring it here." His fingers then breezed over the number pad, typing in a long number. "There, he should pick it up." He caught his eldest daughter's eyes, attempting to convey the seriousness of the situation. That number was only to be used in emergencies.

"Uh, Uncle Remy, could you come and pick us up? We're, um…" She then glanced towards her dad. "I'm not actually sure where we are."

"You're at Saving Grace Hospital in Lancaster."

"Thanks, did you hear that, Uncle Remy? Yeah, yeah, we are around them. It might be good for Roxi if you brought Uncle Charlie with you. Yeah, um, so you're a few minutes away? Okay, well, Dad's under his name. Yeah, yeah, I know. See you soon." She then hung the phone back on the hook and glanced towards her dad. "He's on his way."

"So I heard."

"You must have a big family, Severus."

"My daughters tend to adopt anything that breathes," he replied with a thin smile. "They are not her true relatives, though." He then glanced towards Angel before sighing. That could have gone worse. Perhaps he'd make a Slytherin out of her yet.

A loud crash outside the door alerted him instantly that 'Uncle Remy' had arrived. He just barely hid back his grimace. He could only imagine what the two idiots would do now in a hospital full of Muggles. He glanced towards the door and groaned, hanging his head. Oh, he was lucky tonight. It wasn't just Uncle Remy and Uncle Charlie. Oh, no, Uncle Siri had to show up, too.

"Son of a bitch," he mumbled.

"Severus," scolded the woman standing beside him. "Your girls are right here in the room."

"As if that's the worst we've heard," Angel drawled. "Trust us. That's mild. If one gets him ranting, well, all sorts of interesting things come out of his mouth then."

"Angel," he said through grit teeth. "Enough."

"What the hell happened to you, Snape?" asked Sirius as he walked into the room.

"Dad versus car," Angel replied with a soft smile. "The car won."

"Honestly?"

"Oh, yeah, and he was trying to save her."

Sirius then glanced towards the woman. His mouth dropped instantly. He then whirled towards Remus and Charlie. They both wore a look of shock too.

"Aurora?" he said hesitantly.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" she asked, glancing back at Severus.

"She doesn't remember?" asked Charlie in disbelief.

"Remember what?" she asked, glancing at each of the men. "What the hell is going on?"

"I apologize," Severus replied, inclining his head. He then glanced towards the three men. "It's time to go home, girls." Charlie, Remus, and Sirius nodded back in response to his silent question, blocking the windows and doors from prying eyes.

"What the hell is going on?" She then shrieked when the seemingly injured man lying on the cot grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her towards him. "Let me go! Let me go, you bastard!" His other arm then snaked around her, effectively pinning her to his chest. "Let go! Let go of me!" She then screamed louder. "HEL—!" A series of soft pops later, and Room 394 was empty.

Reappearing in the small cottage a moment later, Severus kept a firm grip on the struggling woman in his arms. He ignored the kicks to his shins the best he could. He noticed that the trio had appeared by his side with his daughters.

"POPPY!" he shouted, knowing that the mediwitch was there.

"Dear Merlin, Severus Snape, there's no need to—" A vial then shattered against the floor. "Where'd you find her?"

"She found him," Angel quipped.

"What?"

"She doesn't remember anything. For example, she ran out in front of a moving car without looking. Once my mother is my mother again, all will be well. Until then, we're stuck with her."

"That's not helping, Angel," Snape growled.

"Oh, please, just knock her out with a stunning spell already. Will you, Dad? It's not like she's going to put up much resistance."

"Let go of me, you bastard!"

"Stop fighting, dammit," he snarled, being slammed into one of the walls. "I'm not going to hurt you." He then hit the wall several more times as she continued to fight. "Dammit, Aurora, stop!"

"_Stupefy_," a voice said coldly. "There, that should take care of that. Now, can you please move the woman who supposedly is Mum over to the couch so we can get on with this? I do have things to be doing that don't concern Mum screaming in my ear all day."

"I'll contact Kingsley," muttered Charlie, staring at the eleven-year-old in disbelief.

"No need," Angel replied. She then snapped her wand across her leg, tossing it onto the floor. "See, all better, Uncle Charlie." Whirling around, she then headed towards the small kitchen. "Tea anyone?" she called over her shoulder.

"You know, that girl is getting scarier and scarier by the minute."

"I'll talk to her," said Remus, glancing at Severus. At the sounds of something crashing in the kitchen followed by glass breaking, the men winced.

"I'd recommend your strongest shield when you go in there, Moony."

"I doubt that'd protect me from her," he mumbled.

When a wine glass suddenly flew into the room, everyone ducked. The men then glanced towards Severus who just held Aurora in his arms with a pained look. They were all thinking it. Angel had her father's temper.

"Do you have any objections if we stunned her, Severus?"

"Several," he replied quietly, grimacing as more glass broke in the kitchen.

"But …"

He said nothing. He just gently placed Aurora on top of a sofa and calmly walked towards the kitchen, ducking when glassware was sent his way. He should have known Angel would take it this way. She had grown up, yes, but she was still a child. Hell, he had thrown a temper tantrum when his mother suddenly reappeared alive, and he was thirty-five at the time. He could relate. Hell, it only proved that she took after her dad a bit more.

"Angel, stop," he quietly said, ducking once more as a vase headed in his direction. "Angel, please," he said, grabbing her wrists.

His daughter's eyes glared at him as tears fell down her pale cheeks. He could feel her shake underneath his hands as he held her. However, he continued to hold her because that's all he could do at that point. He saw the fury in her eyes, but mostly he saw the heart wrenching pain that she attempted to hide from him. It was the pain and hurt that made him unable to speak. Words wouldn't help.

"You need to go out there and be with her," Angel briskly stated, lightly tugging her arms back.

"No, I am needed here," he argued, squeezing her wrists to prevent her from leaving.

"I'm fine, Dad," she responded, pulling her arms a bit harder from him.

"But I'm not," he replied quietly. He hoped his words would make her stop, which it did.

"What are you talking about? Mum's alive. You found her."

"I found her body, but you saw her, Angel. She doesn't remember who we are. She doesn't know that she's married or that she has children. All she knows right now is that some strange man kidnapped her with his daughters watching. She's a shell right now."

"Yeah, but Pomfrey and the others are going to help her remember. So all this, it doesn't matter."

"She'll still remember me kidnapping her, though." He then sighed. "It's been six years, Angel. We don't even know if she had a life as Ellie Dawson. She could be married with her own kids now. Am I right to force her to remember our life from before?"

"What does it matter?"

"It matters to us. Do you think it was right of me to bring her here?" He then watched his daughter's eyes glance away as she scoffed. "Or is my bringing her here just going to set us back?"

"Oh, please, we weren't living, Dad," Angel snapped. "You most certainly weren't. You'd go through the motions, but your heart wasn't in it. So I had to step up and be the strong one for us."

"I know. I know, Angel," he replied, shaking his head slowly. "That's why I'm asking you now. Because you've been the strong one for so long," he said. "Was it right of me to bring her here and force her to remember our life so we could be a family again?"

"It doesn't matter what I think."

"Why?"

"It just doesn't," she yelled.

"I don't believe that. Please, my Angel. Why doesn't it matter?"

"Because it's not going to make up for the years she wasn't here, Dad," Angel snarled. "She wasn't here to see Roxi's first steps. She wasn't here when Harry brought Dray home all bloodied when they were searching for those Horcrux things. She wasn't here to see Harry defeat Voldemort. And she sure as hell wasn't here to see you falling apart, unable to go on. She didn't see the tears we shed, the sacrifices we made, none of that."

"Should I have left her then, Angel?" he asked, staring at her as he held onto her wrists to keep her from running. He could see that natural instinct in her clear as day.

"No," the young child cried. "No, of course you shouldn't have left her there, Dad."

"Then I did the right thing by bringing her here?" He said nothing when Angel turned her head from him, crying softly. He waited patiently, feeling his heart breaking a bit more. He hated it when she cried, but she had kept all this emotion in for so long. And he, the stupid idiot he was, hadn't noticed it. He had been wallowing in his own grief for so long that he hadn't noticed that his eldest had been avoiding hers, just as he would have done long ago. Avoidance was a Snape trait. "Did I do the right thing by bringing her here, my Angel?" he quietly repeated.

"I—" Her sobs then increased as her body shook more. "I-I just don't know, Dad."

Sighing, he wrapped his arms around his little girl. He just held her, hugging her close to him. He wanted to take all of her pain, both of his girls in fact. He always had. He said nothing as he felt the tears soaking his shirt. He just held her, hoping that his actions would speak volumes to her and comfort his poor child. Even he wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. But he needed Aurora. He did.


	6. Pure Torture

**A/N: **Last chapter, yay! Everything shall be satisfied in this chapter, well, I hope. By the way, DaughterOfAres (my soul sister over at P&S) and I came up with a rather cool thing to keep in mind. I'll tell you at the very end, though. Enjoy. :D

**Pure Torture**

After he placed his sleeping daughter on top of her bed and kissed her forehead, he turned to leave. However, he stopped when he noticed his littlest girl at the doorway. Roxi was looking in curiously, squeaking a moment later when she noticed her dad staring at her.

"Don't leave, sweet. It's all right," he quietly spoke. "Angel's just resting."

The little girl hugged herself as she stepped into the room. Approaching her sister's bedside, she bit her bottom lip and quietly whimpered. However, when she reached her father's side, she held out her hands and glanced towards Angel.

"You know, you're going to have to talk to me sometime, my sweet. I know you talk to Angel." He softly laughed when Roxi glanced down at the ground. "There's no need for that. I understand. I haven't been doing my job lately with you girls. Have I?" He then gently picked her up, helping her climb up her sister's bed. He pulled back and watched the girls snuggle close together. "Keep her safe until I come back, all right, Roxi?"

"K, Daddy," the little girl softly replied, hugging her older sister even more.

He pressed a kiss to both of their foreheads before turning around and walking out of the small bedroom. His girls really were beautiful, but they didn't get it from him. It was all Aurora. His girls had his temper, but that was about it.

Walking towards his bedroom, he inclined his head towards Madam Pomfrey as she emerged from the room. He didn't even think anything of it. If she thought that might help Aurora remember, then he didn't care if she pulled out all his boxers and had Black wear them. It just gave him an excuse to buy new clothes afterwards.

"I've spoken with her, Severus," Pomfrey said. "I believe she understands that you're not a threat to you. However, I did need to use a Calming draught with her."

"Does she remember anything yet?"

"I'm not sure. However, I believe she'd be more willing to listen to you now than me."

"I understand. She's resting then?" he asked.

"Or attempting to at least," the mediwitch replied. "However, that might have been her way of trying to get me to leave." She then sighed, resting a hand against his upper arm. "Approach it slowly, Severus. Her memories are there. They're just scrambled I think." Flashing a smile, she walked away.

Drawing in a breath, he decided to walk in. Aurora was not in bed as Madam Pomfrey thought. In fact, he heard the shower running in the bathroom. He thought about turning and leaving her in peace, but he didn't have it in him. He was afraid that she'd disappear again. So walking towards the bathroom door, he knocked gently against it.

"What?"

"Am I to assume that you found clean clothes to wear?" he called out.

"Sure, bring them in and set them somewhere," she replied, clearly not having heard him.

Walking towards one of the boxes, he ripped it open and pulled out a pair of clean pants, shirt, and underwear. He then scoffed. It was ridiculous that the boxes were packed like this. What had he been thinking? Well, he likely hadn't thought a single thing.

"I'm coming in," he announced. He waited for a few moments for a response. However, he didn't hear one. Sighing, he decided just to walk in and set it down before leaving again. So, walking into the steaming bathroom, he set down the clothes and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?"

He stopped with his hand on the doorknob. He couldn't have heard her right. No, no that was just his mind playing trick on him again. He took another step, only to stop again.

"Severus, where are you going?"

Without turning around, he softly answered. "I am giving you privacy. It is the least I can do."

"We're married, though, aren't we?" she softly asked.

Slowly, he turned around to glance at her. Did she remember? He then sighed, shaking his head as he noticed the closed shower curtain. No, this had to be an effect of the Calming draught in her system. He was getting his hopes up for the littlest things now.

"I mean, I saw the picture. I doubt you're that good with technology," she mumbled.

"Picture?" he asked. "Which picture are you referring to?"

"The picture on your end table," she answered. "I'm holding two young men in it. Was that taken at our wedding?"

"Yes," he replied.

"Well, something seemed off about it. Maybe with time or something," she quietly said.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. It just didn't seem right to me. I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm sure I did take a picture with those two at our wedding. It just, well, never mind, you'll think I'm nutters."

"No. I won't." His heart beat faster in anticipation. "I promise. Please tell me."

"I don't know how to explain it really, but I just have a feeling that it should move. It seems too plain to me, which is odd. Pictures don't move. I mean, that's absurd."

He stared at her outline on the shower curtain in disbelief. She remembered that pictures moved. He then pressed his lips tightly together to keep from cheering out. She remembered that wizard pictures moved. Closing his eyes, he smiled softly. It was a start.

"Has anything else felt odd to you?" he asked, just barely keeping the hope from his voice.

"I don't know. I mean, you," she answered with a sigh.

"What about me?"

"Oh, yes, let's exploit the woman as she's taking a shower," she muttered.

"I don't think you're mentally unstable. Please, just tell me."

"Fine, Severus," she replied annoyed. "You seem to be dressed funny. All of you seem to be dressed funny. I don't know why, but you don't look right. Dear god, I have to be losing my mind."

He glanced down at himself and then glanced back at her silhouette. He was wearing loose jeans and a black button down shirt. He supposed he would look a little funny pretending to be a Muggle, but he had forgone robes long ago. His eyes then widened. Robes, was that what she was remembering, him wearing his robes?

"Even this place doesn't seem right. Am I supposed to know this place? Did we live here?"

"No. I moved her with the girls four years ago," he answered.

"You say I'm not insane. But I sometimes dream that I live in this dark, damp place and there's someone wearing all black, stirring something in a cauldron. There are eyeballs in jars and pickled frog guts that line the wall. Tell me, Severus. Does that sound healthy to you?"

"It sounds like my lab," he said under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing," he quickly replied. "I don't think there is anything wrong with you." He then sighed. "I think I can explain a bit if you're willing to listen to me."

"Who were the boys in the picture?" she asked suddenly. "They're ours, aren't they? I mean, at least partly, like we took them in or something."

"Are you sensing something about them?" When he heard her cry out suddenly, he leapt towards the shower curtain and threw it open. His hands just barely caught her as she slumped forward. His arms then swung under her before he picked her up, carrying her into the bedroom. "Poppy!" he shouted. He heard her footfalls a moment later.

"What in Merlin's name happened?"

"I don't know. She was wondering aloud about the boys, and then she cried out and collapsed."

"How much was she remembering?" the mediwitch asked, glancing at him.

"She knew that the picture should have moved, that I don't typically wear this, and she described my lab." He then caught Pomfrey's frown of disapproval. "What?"

"Severus, amnesia always carries the risk of a person backsliding. It's why I informed you to approach this slowly."

"Is that what's happening here?" he asked, ignoring the concern in his voice.

"No. She likely pushed herself too hard." Pomfrey then sighed. "Her mind is trying to make sense of things that aren't quite there yet, Severus." She then placed a hand on his forearm. "You have to approach this slowly with her. Otherwise, her mind is going retreat in itself, and we'll be worse off than now. Oh, don't apologize. I understand. She'll regain consciousness in a bit. Just please take it slow."

~RWWL~

Waking up six hours later to a person in his arms, he lifted his head up and smiled. He made himself up a temporary cot in the corner to sleep on, allowing her to have the bed. However, it seemed that sometime during the night she had left the bed and moved to join him on his cot. He wondered if this meant she was remembering more or if she was just showing him that she trusted him.

"Morning," she softly said, glancing up at him.

"Morning," he replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she answered. "You don't mind that I'm over here, do you?"

He shook his head. Why would he mind? His wife was in his arms, safe and sound. He then smiled, noticing that he had failed to spell some clothes onto her before he had gone to bed. He at least had a shirt and boxers on. However, she didn't seem uneasy. Pulling up the blanket, he covered her.

"You know this is the first time I've woken up in a man's arms and not felt bad about it."

He couldn't help it. He tensed slightly. He supposed he should have thought about that. Six years was a long time, and she didn't know she was married. He couldn't blame her. So he remained silent, just holding her. She just didn't know.

"You see, I felt empty, incomplete, like I was missing my other half. I didn't really have much support from anyone. I mean, I was set up with a new identity and all, but no one told me what I was supposed to do in the meantime. So, I, well," she then trailed off.

"I won't judge you. You never have judged me, so I won't do the same for you now."

"Thank you, Severus," she quietly replied, kissing his cheek a second later. "You don't have to worry about anything, though. I mean, I was careful every time." Her eyes stared at him, noticing his pained expression. "I'm sorry. Oh god, I'm sorry. I shouldn't—"

"The truth is better to hear than lies," he replied. "So don't apologize. You were not aware that you were married. I take it then that these men you were with didn't … complete you?"

"What do you mean?" Her eyes then widened as she realized it. "Oh, no, Severus, they didn't feel right." She then groaned, burying her head into his shoulder. "Am I usually like this?"

"Some days," he answered with a forced laugh. "It's one of the many reasons I love you."

"Putting my foot in my mouth makes you love me? Oh, my, we are a funny bunch, aren't we?"

"We are something," he agreed. He then frowned, pulling her closer to him. "I have a question. It's one that I know might be hard. But when you disappeared, you were pregnant. Do you remember the doctors telling you this at all?" He felt her slightly tense, but she relaxed a moment later.

"I overheard the doctors mentioning it to each other, but—I think, well, I remember them saying something to each other about a baby. I'm sorry. I can't be certain."

"All right, it's all right." He then closed his eyes before he thought of something. "Aurora, can I show you something?" She nodded slowly, letting him up. He walked over to the end table and plucked the picture off the table and walked back. "Do you remember when you told me that it seemed odd? That it seemed too plain to you?" he clarified.

"Yes," she replied, nodding.

Gently grabbing her hand, he brushed her fingertips over the engraved Latin on the silver frame. The photo then came to life, making her gasp. She watched it curiously before she looked at him with big brown eyes.

"Magic," she quietly whispered. "Our photos move because of magic."

"Yes," he answered. He then held up a hand, summoning another picture. He watched her eyes widen as the frame flew out of a box. "Do you remember this?" he asked, holding the still picture of him standing beside her.

"It's at our wedding."

"Yes," he replied.

"I'm about to shove cake in your face," she said uncertainly before laughing.

He watched her, noticing the amazed look on her face. She likely was watching the memory play out in her mind as she spoke. He'd just wait. He was rather patient when he wanted to be.

"Everyone thought you'd be so mad, but instead you, you tossed me into the fountain in my parents' garden. The boys and Angel were laughing so hard. I remember that."

"Good, that's good," he replied, nodding. "We can do magic together. I'm a wizard, and you're a witch. Our daughters are witches, too. Though, our eldest is trying her damnedest not to be one."

"Ebony and bloodwood," she softly said. "Angel's wand is Ebony and bloodwood."

"Yes, it is," he agreed. "Well, it was. She snapped it earlier." He then sighed. "I'm supposed to take this slow with you."

"I've never done anything slow in my life," she drawled, laughing.

"No, you haven't." He then stared at her. "There's a branch of magic that I can do. I'm specialized in it. It would allow me to view your memories for a bit."

"So you could understand what happened to our son?"

"Our son?" he repeated. "You remember that it was a boy?"

"I remember grabbing your belt loops and demanding that you give me your boy sperm." She then laughed, rather embarrassed. "It's odd what things come back to you."

"When this is over, I'll give you whatever you want," he replied, staring at her.

"I think, well, I think I might remember a meeting. The others are there, listening to a man with a long white beard. He reminds me of Father Time."

"That's Dumbledore. You're remembering one of the Order meetings." He then grimaced. "I don't want to hurt you."

"This is important, though. If I—_we_—have a child, then we need to find him. I mean, I wasn't in any shape to care for a child. They might have given him up for adoption or something." Closing her eyes, she slowly breathed in and breathed out. "Work together as one, and we shall conquer. Remain divided, and we shall all fall," she recited.

"That was the day you disappeared." He then shook his head. "We can't do this. I'm pushing you too hard to remember. It's a good start. You're remembering more as time goes on."

"Severus," she replied, resting a hand on his chest. "We have to know."

"I don't want to lose you, though," he argued. "Not again," he said under his breath.

"Then do that thing and look at my memories. I trust you."

With a sigh, he stared at her. She might be able to trust him, but he wasn't so sure if he trusted himself. He had just found her. He didn't want to lose her again. But she was right. They needed to know. He didn't want to find out later that his son thought he had abandoned him.

"Severus, please," she pleaded.

Locking his gaze with her, he swallowed back all his doubts before he entered her mind. Her mind was rather chaotic, though, nearly making him disoriented. He supposed that was the amnesia manifesting. He glanced around the tens of thousands of shelves, trying to find some random order. However, there was no order to this disorder.

He would have to do this the slow way. He grabbed one of the rolled-up parchments that looked like one of Aurora's star charts and gently unrolled it. He caught a glimpse of the eleven-year-old Aurora sitting on a stool with the Sorting Hat upon her head. He rolled it up, put it back, and grabbed the next. This was going to take awhile.

~RWWL~

After the hundredth memory, he sighed, hanging his head. He found the memory of her talking to Charlie after Snape had yelled at the man for losing sight of her, but that was the closest he had come to the accident. He was starting to wonder if he'd ever find it. However, he couldn't give up. Not when he was this close.

Grabbing a star chart, he unrolled the memory. His brows furrowed slightly as he watched it for a moment. It was actually about her accident. Knowing that there was no such thing as dumb luck in life, he glanced around. It was odd that Aurora hadn't appeared to direct him, but he assumed that was because she didn't know. Her charts were badly disorganized, so she likely wouldn't have done any good to him anyway. Perhaps she was helping him? However, no one was around. He then sighed, glancing back to the unrolled star chart of her memory.

He heard Charlie Weasley cry out as Greyback slammed into him from behind. He then watched as Charlie slumped to the ground. However, Aurora rushing past him gained his attention instantly. He watched her chase Greyback into the building, throwing hexes as she went.

He watched Greyback rushing through the corridor towards the back door before a bright light overtook the building. He whirled around, trying to figure where the light had come from. However, it didn't make sense where he saw it. It was as if it was coming from Aurora herself. He then felt the building shake before a dispersal wave flew towards them. The memory then ended, and he was left with more questions. Had she done that?

He rolled up the star chart and placed it back into the shelf, grabbing the next. He looked at it, narrowing his eyes when he saw that it was a memory of a hospital room. He then glanced up and looked at the shelves. He couldn't believe it. The star charts had somehow reordered themselves. Shaking his head, he glanced down at the memory and watched it.

Aurora was on a hospital bed with strange machines beeping around her. Her head was wrapped in gauze with blood seeping through. Gauze also covered her midsection with her arms and legs in casts. Her eyes were closed, but rapidly moving back and forth. To sum it up beautifully, she looked like she fought a hippogriff and lost horribly.

The sound of the door opening behind him made him quickly whirl around. He watched two blurred doctors walk in together. The men seemed very somber as they talked back and forth with one another. However, they slowly approached Aurora's bedside.

"I'm not quite sure what to make of her, Steven."

"You mean, if you made the right decision or not?"

"No. I'm convinced that I made the right decision with saving her life rather than the fetus's. It was next to none anyway that it'd survive without a surrogate. However, the amount of blood lost, well, that should have killed her on the operating table. She shouldn't be here, Steven. I mean, I've heard of miracles, but this woman has to have a whole fleet of angels looking down on her to save her from that."

"Perhaps she does." The doctor then sighed. "They haven't found the next of kin?"

"No, but it's not as if there was much to go off. She came in stark naked." He then growled, shaking his head in disgust. "Honestly, what sort of sick son of a bitch would leave a pregnant woman just lying there by the rubbish, all bloodied and whatnot?"

Severus immediately pulled out of the memory. His breathing had become shaky, and his heart violently thumped against his ribs. He stared at the memory in his hands in utter disbelief. She had been found next to the rubbish? Where? He hadn't remembered seeing any that night. He then closed his eyes, feeling himself start to lose control of his emotions. That was hazardous to do when it was just him. However, it was downright unsafe to do when using Legilimency on another person.

Unable to use the necessary control needed, he ripped himself from her mind, throwing himself onto the floor as a result. He then quickly scrambled to his feet, rushing into the bathroom before heaving everything he had eaten into the loo. He could hear Aurora softly walk across the tiled floor towards him before feeling her cool hand against his forehead.

His breaths now came in loud pants. His heartbeat drummed in his ears, blocking all other noise. The heaving had finally stopped, though, allowing him the chance to use an intense cleansing charm. Slowly, he felt Aurora's hand move down his face in an attempt he assumed was to calm him. He only leaned back into her and closed his eyes, focusing on the feel of her heart beating against his back.

"What did you see, Severus?" she asked quietly, a few minutes later.

He jerkily shook his head in response. He didn't trust his voice right now. Not after seeing that disturbing memory. Soon, he noticed that he was shaking uncontrollably in her arms. No doubt this was the result of the potency of his emotions right then. No matter what he tried, he couldn't get that damn image out of his mind. He clearly saw her bloodied naked body left next to a pile of rubbish on some cobbled, abandoned street. He heard her soft moans as she attempted to cry out for help as onlookers passed right on by. His imagination obviously had run amok.

"Severus, please tell me. What did you see?"

"He's," he started to say, swallowing harshly a moment later. "He's gone, Aurora."

"Who's gone?" she asked quietly, caressing his face lightly.

"Our son," he replied shakily. "Our son's gone." He then cleared his throat. He couldn't act like this. She'd blame herself. He didn't know what to do, what to say then if she did. It wasn't her fault. None of this was. He turned around and grabbed her arms. The words didn't want to come. What could he say? Could he look into her eyes and make her understand? Could he make her see how much he loved her? Yes, they'd lost their child, their son. But he had her. Pulling her closer, his mouth found hers. He didn't know how else to say what he was feeling.

Their kiss deepened immediately as his hands in the meantime moved down her neck. When he found no cloth holding him back, he stopped and pulled back. He caught her momentarily flicker of surprise before she stared at him uncertainly. Taking this too far would only hamper the efforts later to reach a sense of normalcy again. So, instead of listening to his overwhelming desire to possess every inch of his wife that he hadn't touched in six years, he pulled his shirt over his head. Ignoring her disappointed expression, he gently helped her ease herself into the black t-shirt that quickly covered.

"Under better circumstances, I might have continued that," he explained. "However, we have the rest of our lives to be together now." He caught her slight twitch in her jaw. "Because I sure as hell am not letting you out of my sight ever again," he said, pulling her closer.

"So, I take it that I'm not ever leaving the bed again?" she asked with a soft smile.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," he replied, placing his chin on top of her head.

"I see. Well, we do have two girls to think about now. And I must say, as much as I enjoy your company, I have some making up to do with them."

"Of course," he agreed.

"But seeing as how I was gone for six years, we have six years of sex to make up. Don't we, Severus?" She then laughed, kissing his lips.

"Hopefully not all in one night," he replied with a soft grimace. "I'm not as young as I used to be, Aurora. And I doubt you are either."

"Are you calling me old, Severus?"

"No, no," he replied immediately. "I'm just saying that we're not that young anymore."

"Oh, shut up, Severus," she drawled, capturing his lips again. She then pressed her forehead against his. "I know it's horrible. We should be grieving, not this. But I barely remember it."

"Then let's just leave it in the past and focus on our present and future."

~RWWL~

Six months had passed, and the family was slowly healing. Severus had stayed true to his word. He wouldn't let his wife out of his sight for even a second. Though, neither one of the parents spent that much time away from their kids either. The girls weren't complaining too much, however. Tragedies like this one took time. And they had all the time in the world now.

"Finally shaved off that beard, did you, Dad?" joked Harry as he approached.

"Well, he had to, little brother. No way would Mum let him get away with that," replied Draco.

"Oh, hush, boys," Severus replied, mock glaring at them. His eyes then caught his soon-to-be daughter-in-law. "Ah, Miss Granger, you're stunning as ever."

"Thank you, Prof—Severus," she corrected. She then grimaced, rubbing her swollen abdomen.

"Here, sit," he said. "I'd hate for something happen to the first of my grandchildren."

"Oh, come on, Dad. Dray slept with her and managed to get her pregnant. He's not even married to her yet. On the other hand, you have me, the one who did wait to marriage," Harry replied, glancing towards his blond brother. "Tell me, Dad. Which one of us is the better son?"

"Yeah, but you haven't managed to get it right yet, have ya, little brother? Gryffindors must do it differently than Slytherins. Isn't that right, Dad?"

"Draco, that's enough," Severus replied, glancing towards the blond. However, his heart clearly wasn't into scolding him since a certain little girl was giggling hysterically at her brother.

"I've never been to a ceremony like this," said Luna Potter wispily.

"That's because there's never been one before it," Angel responded with a thin smile.

"Shall we?" Aurora asked, raising her thin, silver wand.

Severus only inclined his head, raising his ebony wand simultaneously with his wife's. They pointed their wands at the grave marker and sent their combined spell at it. He held in a sigh of relief as the white marble exploded a moment later, sending thousands of little pieces into the air.

"So much for 'here lies Aurora Sinistra'," quipped Harry.

Wrapping an arm around his wife, Severus smiled. There was no better way to go out than that.

**

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A/N:

So, DA (DaughterOfAres) and I were talking about this story, and I shared a snippet about Severus in Aurora's mind. Well, Miss DA said something that I found really interesting.

**DA:** She's been 'broken' for 6 years. And his touch (a mental one in this case) is enough to 'fix' her.  
**DA: **well ... what Snape and Aurora are doing is like what would happen if they did finally touch like Orion and Dawn (mythology)

In case you're wondering about the mythology of Orion and Dawn, the following is what DA was referring to.  
_In the sky, Orion reunites with the Dawn in late summer. In July, Orion is reclining just above the eastern horizon waiting to take his lover's hand as Dawn lifts her rosy fingers out of the eastern mists. Their daily encounters become more distant and the reunion ends in the late winter when Orion sets in the west just as Dawn shows in the east. The rest of the year the lovers are separated. Orion is not visible at dawn _taken from Orion and Scorpius Constellation Suite 101

There you go, a little bit of a mythology lesson wrapped up there, too. Well, I hope you sincerely enjoyed this story. And thank you so much for reading, and hopefully reviewing.


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